They Call It Falling
by HalcyonMoments11
Summary: He tossed the article of clothing hanging from his fingers in my direction. If my face has ever perfectly resembled a tomato, it did now. The article of clothing I expertly juggled and caught in my lap... was my bra. Jacob/OC R&R Please! VOTE PLEASE! (On Temporary Hiatus!)
1. La Push

**They Call It Falling**

_By: HalcyonMoment11_

**Summary: **If you were given one chance, one chance to save the one that means the most to you, would you take it? Would you be brave enough to give up everything for this person? Would you give it all up with out a second thought? If you could save them what would you be willing to give to do so? What if the cost was your own life? Everything in this world has a price… What's yours?

**Setting:**** Jacob did love Bella. Bella chose Edward and married him. There is no Renessmee (sorry). Bella's marriage to Edward did set some things straight between Jacob and Bella, now they're just friends. It's been 1 year since the third book.**

**Warning:**** Language at times, later suggestive themes. Paul and Rachel are together.**

**A/N:** Okay, so first off, I wanted to apologize for taking down my first Twilight story, I just couldn't make it work, but I'm trying. I also want to point out that I absolutely love the pairing Jacob/Renesmee but I wanted to try this out. By the way, I'm going to pretend that Breaking Dawn never happened, even though I absolutely loved that book!  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything that relates to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga or any of the lyrics that may be used in this story!

"Talking."

_Thoughts._

_

* * *

_

Let's get out of this town tonight

_Nothing but dust in the shadows_

_Gone by morning light_

_Somewhere we won't ever get caught, never be found_

_Baby let's just get out of this town_

_If we leave tonight and drive fast enough, all our troubles will be just like us_

_Long gone baby_

-Get Out of This Town by Carrie Underwood

* * *

Chapter 1: La Push

I sighed, setting my chin in my palm and turning my gaze towards the rain splattered window. I watched as the blurred images of trees rushed by as the car sped down the highway, the steady hum of the motor echoing around me. This place might actually be a nice sight if it would stop raining.

I could feel my mother's gaze on my back as she continuously glanced from the road in front of the car to me and back again. The hazel eyes reflected in the foggy window narrowed. I refused to look at her, to acknowledge her presence.

If I had had any say in this move at all I wouldn't be here right now. It's her fault that I have never had any real life anywhere we've been. We never stay in any one place for any extended amount of time. She's constantly packing the both of us up and moving us to various locations every few months.

It never fails.

That's why I'm here now.

I heard her sigh and could imagine her shaking her head in the process.

"Cheer up kiddo, living here won't be so bad. And you'll be close enough to visit your cousin Emily whenever you want! Think about it Cris, you haven't seen her in years, it'll be nice to see her again won't it?" my mother questioned, glancing over at me again.

I ignored her and continued to glare out the window. Childish, I know. But what else could I do?

She sighed again, this time out of aggravation.

"You don't have to be so pessimistic about it, you haven't even seen the house yet, and the town is such a cute little place... you're gonna love it." she insisted with a small smile.

_Easy for you to say... you're not the one that gets hauled around all the time and pulled out of a home you're just getting used to._

"Cris..."

I crushed my hands under my arms at my sides to keep myself from shaking. Slowly, I let out a deep breath and continued to ignore her, biting my tongue so that I wouldn't snap at her.

"I know you're mad at me for moving you around all the time and I'm sorry... but it'll be different this time... you'll see." Jen stated, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

_You said that last time too._

The rain pounded down from the darkening sky.

I brushed my long, black bangs out of my eyes as I stopped to look up at the small house my mom had stopped the car in front of. It was still pouring, bringing down my already bleary out look of our new home. And it was dark already, making it hard to catch the details of the house.

It was small, but not horribly small. The wood the house was built out of a dark pine- or at least it was in the rain- and it had a tin roof. There was a small front porch, a couple of steps up to the porch, and an old light just outside the small, white door, and two large windows, one on each side of the door. Both windows were shadowed by old curtains on the inside.

"Come on, Cris! Come see the inside!" Jen called, motioning for me to follow her as she made her way inside.

I sighed, tightened the grip on the two bags in my hands, and followed her in and out of the rain. My mother closed the door behind me when I got in. I shook the wet hair out of my face so that I could look around.

There was a small counter, a stove, a refrigerator, and a sink on the far side of the room we were in now. Other then those few things there were what looked like mountains of boxes scattered throughout the room and all over the white linoleum floor. I set my bags down with the rest and moved towards the open doorway a few feet away.

The first thing I noticed was more boxes, piled similarly to the piles in the kitchen. There was a dark blue rug under my feet now instead of linoleum, but the walls were the same light blue color with small vine-like designs at the bottom and top of the wall. There was no furniture yet, but I could tell this was to be the living room.

"So, what do you think Cris?" Jennifer questioned, watching me curiously from behind. I frowned at the old curtains that hung in front of one of the large windows I had noticed outside.

I shrugged and turned to look at her. "It's just another house right. It doesn't matter anyway because we'll be moving again in a few months."

Jen sighed and shook her head. "I already told you, Cris... this time will be different." she replied with a stern gaze.

"Yeah, sure..." I looked away from her again to study the small designs on the walls. She huffed and I could almost see her crossing her arms over her chest in a disapproving way.

"Maybe you'll feel a better about it if you see the rest of the house." she suggested grabbing my elbow and leading me through the maze of unpacked boxes towards a small hallway.

The walls of the hall were the same color as the living room and kitchen and the floors were the same colored carpet as the room before. She pulled me to a stop in front of the first wooden door and opened it to show me the contents inside.  
It was the bathroom. There were black and white floor tiles and the light shade of purple covered the walls. There was a small tub with a shower curtain rod hanging around it connected to the ceiling with a shower head at one end of the tub. Closer to where we stood was a white porcelain toilet and across from it, next to the door, was a white porcelain sink.

"This, obviously is the bathroom." Jen stated before closing the door and pulling me further down the hall.

"And here..." she opened the next wooden door in the hallway and stepped aside so that I could look into the room. "This will be my bedroom." she stated.

There were a few boxes in the room marked 'Jen-Bedroom' sprawled out across the dark carpeted floor and a bed frame. I nodded slightly before she closed the door again and tugged at my arm. We stopped at the end of the hall and opened the last door to a small flight of stairs.

I raised a questioning eyebrow as I looked up them, not quite sure how this house managed to have a flight of stairs in it- it simply didn't look big enough from the outside.

"Well come on, I'll show you your room Cris." She pulled me up the stairs and into a room that must have been the attic for the previous owner.

"This is it." she stated. I noticed her questioning tone but ignored it while I looked around.

There were a few boxes up against the white walls and there was no ceiling, only the rafters of the roof. The floor was hard wood and at the far end of the room there was a small window that looked out over the back yard, or would if there wasn't a huge tree in the way. Again, like the rest of the house there was no furniture yet, only a rolled up sleeping bag in the middle of the floor with a pillow and my favorite stuffed animal next to it.

"What do you think?" Jennifer questioned.

I turned to look at her and smiled slightly, at least it wasn't as small as my old room back in San Francisco.

"It's... not bad." I replied quietly, earning myself a huge smile in return.

"I'm glad you like it! Now, the furniture will be here tomorrow, so we'll get all of that sorted out then, for now though you'll have to sleep in your sleeping bag. It's getting late and we have a lot to do tomorrow so you'd probably better get some sleep." she suggested.

I nodded in agreement.

"Alright." Jen smiled and gave me a quick hug. "Well then, good night my Cristina Irene." she said with a smile kissing my forehead.

I scowled. I hate it when she calls me that. "Don't call me that!"

She laughed and waved before she disappeared down the stairs.

"Good night!" I called after her before she shut the door behind her.

I sighed again and took off my jacket, tossing it onto a random box, and kicked my shoes off in the same general direction. Quickly, I unrolled my sleeping bag and set it up before making my way over the light switch to turn out the lights and then back to my warm sleeping bag. I let my muscles relax as I settled in, grabbing my small stuffed wolf in the process.

* * *

"Cris!"

I groaned and rolled over in my sleeping bag.

"Cris, time to get up!"

Attempting to ignore the wake up call again, I rolled over and pulled my soft, fluffy, sound absorbing pillow over my face.

"Cristina Irene Depani, get your rear out of bed now or I'll come up there and get you out of bed myself!"

I jumped slightly at the anger in my mother's shout before groaning and pushing myself out of bed-well my makeshift bed anyway. I had pushed her to the point of having to come and get me up once before, after that experience that threat was good enough to get me out of bed any day.

"Alright, alright, I'm up!" I shouted back. Best to calm the beast before she thinks I didn't hear her.

I stretched, lifting my arms up over my head and wincing slightly when my back and elbows popped, sore from sleeping on the hard wood floor.

Slowly, I made my way over to one of the multiple boxes that were pushed against the walls. I quickly shuffled through a few of them, grabbing some clean clothes and my bathroom utensils before making my way down stairs and into our new bathroom. It wasn't long before I was in and out of the shower, dressed, and ready to go.

I glanced at the reflection in the small mirror above the sink and took in my appearance. Most of my damp, black hair was up in a messy ponytail at the back of my head except for the few stubborn strands that refused to cooperate and fell in my lightly tanned face and hazel eyes. What curves I had -if you could call them that- were hidden under a large black and blue checkered flannel shirt over a tight dark purple tank top and by a pair of comfortable blue jeans.

I smiled slightly, satisfied with my reflection and moved out of the bathroom and back up to my room to drop off my stuff then back down stairs into the kitchen where my mother was currently working on unpacking some random items. She looked up as I walked in with a smile.

"Good morning Cris." she mumbled, brushing a few strands of her short black hair out of her bright green eyes. I forced a faint smile in return and nodded my head in greeting.

"We don't have much for breakfast right now, but I just put some fruit in the refrigerator if you want something." she stated moving back to the box in front of her.

"Okay." I replied before weaving my way through a few boxes towards the refrigerator. I grabbed an apple, turning it over in my hand once to examine it, and turned my attention back to Jen.

"So when's the furniture gonna get here?" I questioned, taking a bite of my apple.

"Um... I think it's going to be here around 10 o'clock so..." she looked at her wrist quickly as she pulled a few dishes out of the box she was shuffling through, "in about half an hour, that is, if they don't get lost." Jen continued, frowning slightly.

I sighed. _Oh boy... it's going to be a long day..._

"Well until then I guess we should-" Jen stopped, jumping slightly as at the sudden-rather loud- knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" she mumbled more to herself then me. I shrugged anyway and watched her as she crossed the kitchen to open the door.

**

* * *

**

TBC…

**A/N: ****Hope you liked it. Jacob makes his appearance in chapter 2. Let me know how I did though please!**

**R&R**

**-HM11-**


	2. Electricity

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the support! I really appreciate it! Here's chapter 2.

* * *

_Take your time_

_Take my time_

_Take these chances to turn it around (take your time)_

_Take these chances, we'll make it somehow_

_And take these chances to turn it around (take my...)_

_Just turn it around…_

-When It Rains by Paramore

* * *

Chapter 2: Electricity

Jen moved slowly for the door as she weaved her way through the various boxes scattered all over the kitchen floor. I took a bite out of an apple I had taken out of the refrigerator as I leaned over a few boxes in an attempt to see around the door as she pulled it open.

"Hey Jen."

A young woman with copper toned skin and long, ebony black hair stood in the door way. She smiled brightly at my mother- or rather half of her face did- the other half, permanently scared by three long gashed that traveled the length of her face, remained in the grimace it had been pulled into so many years ago. Jen's face curled into a look of utter confusion for a moment as she looked at the young woman in front of her.

The woman laughed, a beautiful, melodious laugh; it seemed out of place with the condition of her face.

"I heard you were in need of some help with all the unpacking and I just _happened _to be in the area..."

"Emily?" Jen's expression quickly transformed from confusion, to surprise, and then utter excitement, her lips curling up into a wide smile.

"I certainly hope so; otherwise I must be having a huge identity crisis..." Emily laughed as Jen enveloped her in a bear hug and then pulled her back to arms length to examine her.

"I can't believe it's you, it's been so long!" Jen exclaimed.

"It has hasn't it?" Emily responded with a gentle smile as she moved back a little so that she could observe her older cousin.  
I looked at the woman in the doorway as well. It was my second cousin. I haven't seen her since I was around the age of 7 so I was curious as well. She looks relatively the same as I remember, despite the three scares that she had apparently acquired in a bear accident several years ago. She was wearing the normal attire that one would expect to see in such a damp place; a pair of bell-bottom blue jeans, sneakers that had been stained a light brown from the dirt and mud, and a light green shirt under a black rain jacket. Her hair was up in a ponytail now and she had a baseball cap on, besides that the only other thing that drew my attention to her was the fact that she seemed a little rounder around the middle then the last time I saw her.

_Is she....?_

"My Emily... you're looking rather... round..." Jen stated obviously, a small smile gracing her thin lips. I rolled my eyes at her statement.

Emily laughed. "Why thank you Jen." she replied placing a delicate hand over the bulge in her middle.

"She's due in a few months." she stated, her smile widening.

"A few months? And exactly how old are you Em?" Jen questioned skeptically.

Emily smiled, shooting a playful glare at my mother. "Old enough, thank you." she replied.

"Oh alright.... but who's the father?" Jen questioned with a sigh.

"That would be me."

I jumped slightly as a tall, muscular, red-brown skinned man with short black hair moved into the room to stand next to Emily. My eyes widened as I watched him wrap his arm around Emily's small form and pull her towards himself, a wide smile on his face. Emily smiled brightly up at him and then turned back to Jen.

"This is Sam Uley, my husband for a year and a half now." Emily introduced the huge, rather handsome man next to her. I watched as his smile and dark eyes softened and he leaned down to kiss one of the scares on the side of her face. Emily blushed lightly but smiled warmly up at him.

"Anyway, I've brought you some help Jen." Emily turned towards the door as another giant with the same skin pulled over long, round muscles and cropped black hair moved into the room, he smiled slightly as a greeting to both me and Jen as he made his way through the boxes to stand next to Sam.

Emily's gaze fell on me and she smiled. "Cris come here and meet these guys." she instructed with a small wave. I smiled and moved towards her. She gave me a one armed hug and motioned towards the new person in the room.

"This is Jared." she introduced him.

"And this..." Another one walked through the door followed by another young man who could be his twin. "This is Embry and Quil." The two nodded when each of their names were called, both with wide smiles gracing their handsome features, and moved to stand next to Jared and Sam.

_Are they all brothers?_

"This is Seth and his older sister Leah." A boy that looked only slightly younger then the rest of the men in the room and a young woman with shoulder length black hair moved into the room. The boy, Seth, smiled brightly and waved while his sister only nodded and moved with her brother towards the others.

"And there's one more that's supposed to be here..." Emily mumbled with a small frown.

"He'll be here soon; he had to help Billy with something before he came." Sam assured her.

"Oh, _alright_, well... were here to help with whatever you need Jen so, just tell these guys what needs to be done and they'll get to it." Emily stated with a wide smile.

"Oh... well..." Jen seemed as stunned by the group in the room as I was, and perhaps a little surprised that they could all fit in this little kitchen. "Well I guess I'll assign rooms to these guys and that'll make this faster."

She glanced in my direction with a small smile. "Cris, can you get the door while I get these guys going?" she asked as she turned towards the group.

"Sure." I replied unnecessarily as she had already started to instruct the others on what to do.

I slowly moved through the multitude of boxes left in my path and with a sigh leaned down to push a few of the boxes in the doorway out of the way. I fumbled for the door as I turned around to look outside to see if it was still raining before I shut it. I jumped slightly as a boy skidded to a halt on the slippery stone path in front of me.

_How did he get there?_ I didn't even hear him coming.

My heart seemed to skip a beat when he looked up. His dark brown, almost black eyes met my hazel in a mesmerizing stare. He looked like the others in the house, only so much more handsome with his short black hair and dark russet skin pulled tightly over long, well shaped muscles that stuck out under his wet white t-shirt. His hair was wind blown as if he had been running and his face had a barley noticeable pink tint to it from the cold.

I couldn't remember the last time that I'd ever seen anyone that looked better then he did right now. And then he smiled. His perfect face stretched into a wide grin that reached his warm eyes and my heart seemed to stop beating. It was like an electric start to my heart as it stuttered to life for what felt like the very first time.

_What the hell is going on?_

"I'm Jacob, Jacob Black. I guess I'm here to help you move in." he introduced himself in a deep, rough voice.

I looked down at the hand he extended in my direction and took it hesitantly. My skin burned at his touch and my stomach flipped.

_What is this feeling?_

His hand was so warm compared to my own. An involuntary shiver rolled down my spine. I met his gaze again and he smiled as if he knew what I was thinking. I felt my cheeks flush slightly.

"I-I'm Cris... Cris Depani." I replied quietly, cursing myself mentally for stuttering.

"It's nice to meet you Cris." Jacob stated, his warm smile never leaving his face.

"You too." I responded, smiling in return. His smile was contagious; it seemed to brighten and warm the area around him in some strange, unexplainable way… like it was his own personal sun.

"Come on Cris! What are you doing standing in the-" I looked back at Emily as she stopped behind me.

"Oh. I see you've met Jake." she said gently, smiling slightly at the boy across from me.

"Oh... uh..." I blushed as I pulled my hand out of Jacob's and nodded. "Yeah." I replied.

"Well come on then, your mom's waiting for you." Emily continued, motioning towards the kitchen, her eyes only glancing at me slightly before falling back to Jacob.

_What's that about?_

"Oh... okay." I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly before making my way into the kitchen. "Nice to meet you." I said again as I glanced back at Emily and Jacob before moving towards Jen. His smile widened and he nodded in response.

"Let's go Jake." Emily called as she moved to close the door behind him.

"So what can I do mom?" I asked as she dropped a box on the counter.

"Well honey, all that's left is your room, so if you want you can grab someone to help you up there, but thanks to all the help I probably won't need you until the furniture comes…" she stated as she turned to look at me.

"Well how about you send Jake up to help her. He just got here and has nothing to do yet so..." I glanced at Emily as she stopped beside me, my eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Cris, you and uh... Jake can take care of your room." Jen instructed looking back over at me as the scarred brunette wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"But I-"

"Sounds good to me."

I jumped and turned to look up at Jacob who had suddenly appeared behind us. He smiled when I met his gaze and I sighed, pushing back the blush that threatened to rise to my cheeks again.

_Why?_

"Alright..." I mumbled as I moved towards my room, Jacob following closely behind me.

_Stupid butterflies_...

* * *

"So where'd you guys live before?"

I glanced up from my box of nick-knacks to look at Jacob, who sat across the room. He was currently putting together my 'do-it-yourself' desk kit next to the railing by the stairs. I was unwrapping nick-knacks that were to go up on the desk when he was done. He caught my gaze quickly with a curious smile before looking back to the almost assembled desk.

"Uh... my mom and I just moved in from a little town outside of San Francisco, well I guess you could call it the outskirts of the suburbs of San Francisco..." I replied as I set another small porcine wolf on the sleeping bag I sat on.

"So is your dad following the two of you up or did your parents split?" he questioned.

I paused slightly at his question, my hand tightening around the object in my small hand. "No... he uh... he died when I was very young... I never really knew him..." I responded quietly my eyes falling to the paper in my hands.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it... it's not like you knew or anything." I cut him off forcing myself to smile as I looked up at him. No need to be in such a sour mood with guests around right?

"Alright." He smiled faintly in return and then turned back to the desk. It was quiet for a while after that, but not one of those uncomfortable silences; it was more understanding then anything. I liked it.

"So um... what about you? Did you grow up around here or what?" I asked him, glancing up at him curiously.

"Yeah, my dad and I live not to far from here. My older sisters moved out a while ago and my mom died in a car accident when I was little so it's just me and the old man." he stated. It surprised me how easily he could talk about his mothers' death like that. I didn't even know what had happened to my father and I still had a hard time talking about it.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." I mumbled sincerely.

"Don't be, it happened a long time ago and me and my dad are getting along just fine." he replied casting a smile in my direction.

My heart skipped a beat and I had to look back down to hide my blush. I have never blushed so much in my life as I have in the few hours that I've known him. _What is wrong with me? _

"So... you said you had older sisters? How many and how old are they?" I asked trying to change the subject quickly.

"Yeah, Rebecca and Rachel. Rebecca's married and lives in Hawaii and Rachel's just out of college, she's engaged now to a guy named Paul and lives in town. How 'bout you, got any siblings?" he asked curiously.

"Nope. It's just me and my mom. After my dad died she never really fell for anyone else, not that she'd have time to with all the moving we do..." I replied with a sigh.

"You move around a lot?" Jacob questioned pausing in his 'construction' to look up at me.

"Yeah... my mom doesn't like to stay in one place for too long. A few months in one place and then we're off again, moving across the country..." I stated glaring at the picture in my hand. It was a picture of our old house in San Francisco with my mother and me standing in front of it. We'd lived there longer then most of the other places and I had actually thought that we might be there long enough for me to graduate high school, but no...

"Wow. That sucks."

I laughed quietly at his obvious statement. "You're telling me." I responded with a small smile.

He laughed too and my smile brightened at the sound.

_Why is this happening?_

"Well that's done." he stated as he stood up to dust his black sweat pants off and look at the desk lying sideways on the floor.

"Awesome, now all we have to do is set it up right." I commented as I looked it over from my place on the floor.

"No problem." Jacob replied as he leaned down to lift it up.

"Here let me help-"

"Don't worry about it, I've got it." he cut me off as he lifted it up completely off the floor and set it up right in the back corner.

"Wow... I guess so." I mumbled amazed by how easily he had picked that thing up. It wasn't light, I knew that from experience.

He chuckled and turned to face me with a wide grin across his lips. "What, you didn't think I could pick it up on my own?" he teased, laughing again at my embarrassment. It was probably the way I had stared as he lifted it. His muscles had flexed quite nicely when he did.

"What? No! I didn't mean that! I just... it's just a heavy desk is all and I... oh never mind…" I muttered glaring at the nick-knack in my hand. _Stupid. Stupid Cris._

I jumped slightly as his warm fingers hooked under my chin and tipped it up so that I was looking at him. _When did he move?_

I didn't hear his approach, let alone seen him move towards me.

"I didn't mean to make you mad." he stated, his dark eyes boring into my hazel.

His dark eyes were so captivating, so enticing. They were invitingly warm. It felt as if they were pulling me in. Everything about him gave me that feeling and I didn't understand it.

My cheeks flushed when I noticed how close he was and I stuttered "N-no... I wasn't mad... I was just... how did you do that?" I whispered still reeling over how quickly and quietly he had moved and how easily he had lifted my desk.

_What's going on?_

"Do what?" he asked as his lips pulled up into a crooked smile.

"How'd you-"

"Cris! Jacob! The furniture's here so get down here and help!"

I jumped as Jen's voice filtered up through my door interrupting my thoughts. "Okay mom!" I called back as I moved to stand up.

"Here." My eyes met Jacob's as he offered his hand to help me up. I smiled and took it gratefully.

"Thanks. We better get down there before she comes back." I stated as I dusted my jeans off. "You don't want to experience that, trust me…"

Jacob laughed a loud barking laugh and followed me back down stairs and outside.

* * *

Needless to say it didn't take long to get the furniture into the house with all the extra hands. Jen, Emily, and I practically stood around and watched as the guys took care of everything. I did manage to carry a few things, a few shelves, a nightstand or two, well at least to the door before Jacob or one of the others took them from me-Embry, Quil or Seth maybe? I still didn't know all their names exactly…

Regardless, I was just happy that everything was in the house and relatively in place. I looked around the living room after setting down one of my mom's favorite lamps having managed to dodge Jacob and the others to actually carry it in the house.

"Well at least that's done." I mumbled before making my way back into the kitchen where everyone had stopped for some pizza that Jen had just brought back from a small pizzeria not 15 minutes away. To be honest it surprised me that such a little town had a pizzeria.

"Thanks for the pizza ." Embry-or was it Quil?- muttered through a bite as I walked through the door.

"Well it's the least I could do with all the help you guys gave us. But now I'm thinking that I should've gotten more then 5 pizzas…" Jen replied looking over at the practically empty boxes.

I laughed slightly and moved across the room, dodging a few of the guys on my way to get the pizza. I was starving! I finally managed to push my way through the over crowed small room only to find that all the pizza boxes are empty.

"Damn it…" I growled under my breath as I closed the empty pizza box in my hand. My stomach growled angrily in agreement. _How the hell did these guys eat all the pizza already?_

"Here."

I jumped as Jacob popped up behind me again and turned to see his smiling face. Did he enjoy scaring me like that?

"Here, what?" I questioned curiously, turning completely to face him.

"Here, you can have mine. I mean, if you don't mind that I took a couple bites out of it already." he stated offering me his half eaten piece of pizza.

I laughed and rolled my eyes before taking the foam plate he held in my direction. Half eaten pizza is better then nothing when you've barely eaten anything all day. "Thanks Jacob." I replied before taking a bite.

"Just Jake." he amended with a grin.

I felt my cheeks flush slightly as I met his dark gaze.

"Cris."

I quickly turned my attention in the direction of my name. "Yeah mom?" I asked as she made her way towards the two of us.

"I've got good news; tomorrow Emily's going to pick you up for school." Jen stated with a smile.

My smile faltered slightly. _School?_

"Oh… that's great." I replied, hoping she wouldn't catch my fake enthusiasm. Jacob laughed behind me. I cast a glare in his direction in hopes of shutting him up. He only winked in response.

She smiled and turned to find Emily once again.

"Don't worry, our school's not too bad. Maybe I'll show you around?"

I turned to look back at Jacob as Jen walked away a small smile creeping onto my lips. The blush was back.

"Maybe."

I hoped it had sounded as suggestive as his comment had.

God, his smile was mind blowing.

* * *

**A/N: **Well that's it for now. How'd I do?

Please review?!

-HM11-


	3. Cars and School

**A/N: **Thanks for all the positive feed back guys. Hope you like this chapter!

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_Meet me on Thames Street_

_I'll take you out, though I'm hardly worth your time_

_In the cold you look so fierce but I'm warm enough_

_Because the tension's like a fire_

_We'll hit_

_South Broadway in a matter of minutes_

_And like a bad movie, I'll drop a line_

_Fall in the grave I've been digging myself,_

_But there's room for two_

_Six feet under the stars_

-Six Feet Under the Stars by All Time Low

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Chapter 3: Cars and School

"Cris!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I called in response, glancing once more at the girl in the mirror with a sigh. Her dark hair was pulled to the back of her head in a loose pony tail, allowing strands to fall around her pale face and into her hazel eyes. She tugged gently at the dark blue zipper-up hooded sweater that covered the pastel green shirt beneath it. Her old blue jeans hugged her hips nicely and faded from their original blue to a faded blue about her knees and towards the bottom.

There was no more delaying it. If I didn't get going now I'd be in worse trouble then I already was. I zippered up the jacket and quickly made my way down stairs and into the kitchen where Jen stood waiting for me by the door.

"You're going to get me fired before I even get to start my new job Cris." she stated handing me my back pack and some lunch money.

"You didn't have to wait for me." I replied throwing the strap of my black bag over my shoulder and stuffing my money into one of my front jean pockets.

She laughed. "If I didn't who would get your lazy butt to school on time?" she questioned opening the door and ushering me out.

I glared at the rain pouring down outside as I pulled the hood up over my head. "Some how you'd find a way Mom." I replied with a small smile.

Jen laughed again and gave me a small push out the door. "Have a good day, Cris!" she called waving at my hunched form as I ran through the rain.

"I'll try…" I muttered in response, raising my hand in acknowledgement as I made my way to the car that sat in front of our house. I noted the symbol on the front as I moved around to the passenger seat.

An old Volkswagen Rabbit.

_Nice car…_

I never really understood where I had gotten my affection for motor vehicles. Jen was never really interested in them, at least not as much as I was. She had told me that my father was into them, but hadn't really gone any further into that subject. Jen didn't like to talk about him… but I couldn't really blame her for that.

I pulled the door open and stopped at the sight. He turned his dark eyes in my direction and smiled brightly; my heart skipped a beat.

"I… uh…"

"So are you gonna stand out in the rain to get wet or get in where it's dry?" Jacob asked, his smile never fading.

I flushed slightly and got into the car, closing the door behind me quickly. It was only then that I noticed Ouil and Embry in the back seat.

"Morning, Cris."

"Hey."

I still couldn't tell which one was which so I just smiled slightly and responded with a faint "Good morning" before turning my attention back to the boy in the drivers' seat.

"So uh… where's Emily?" I questioned as the engine revved to life and he moved the car down the road.

It sounded good. I wonder what the horsepower is in this thing.

"She had an unexpected doctors' appointment. You know how it is, with the pregnancy and everything." Jake replied casting a small smile in my direction.

I couldn't help but smile in return. "Oh…"

"Anyway, she called me up and asked me to stop and pick you up on my way in. She told me to tell you she said 'sorry'." he stated.

"Oh, yeah she sounded so very sorry on the phone too…" Embry-or was it Quil- added in sarcastically. The other laughed. Jacob glared into his rear view mirror; it didn't seem to have any affect on the others.

I laughed slightly at this and his dark eyes fell back to me, softening as they did. I looked away quickly, out into the hazy trees around the car. _What was that about?_

"I guess that means that I should thank you for the ride?" I questioned glancing back at him. Gratefully his eyes were now back on the road.

"Thanks are always appreciated." he replied. Did he ever stop smiling that perfect smile?

"I could think of something you'd appreciate a little more." Came the comment from the back.

His smile fell then and his glare fell back onto the laughing duo in the back.

* * *

It didn't take long to get to the school- if it could be considered that. The building was by far the largest in the town-of course I'm basing this on what I saw through the down pour my mother and I arrived in- but it couldn't be much bigger then the size of both gyms and the auditorium from my old school put together.

The red brick of the school was covered in moss and vines in various places. Towering trees were scattered across the school yard lining the stone path the led up to the entrance. Several windows peered out of the front of the building separating what must be a few classrooms.

The hum of the motor died as we pulled into the student parking lot. I sighed slightly at the sight of it. Another new school, more people my age that I don't know, in a small town that I've never even heard of before now… It was just like all the other new schools, except this one was a bit wetter.

I tugged my backpack up from the floor between my feet to my lap before reaching for the door handle. I pressed my weight against the door to open it, only to have the door practically pull me face first into the cracked pavement of the parking lot.

My breath hitched and my eyes closed in preparation for contact with the cruel ground. I threw my hands out in an attempt to catch myself, only to grab a rather warm arm and be hoisted to my feet out of the vehicle. I stumbled into the chest of whoever caught me due to the sudden movement.

Slowly, I looked up to see a smirking Jacob, his arms still around my waist to steady me. He was so _warm_. Heat practically radiated off of him in waves. He was so much taller then me too, at least a head or two. Probably more. I'm not exactly the tallest girl you'll ever meet.

"You're a bit of klutz aren't you?" he teased, his dark eyes glinting with amusement.

I glared, it probably had little affect as a blush happened to creep across my face at the same time. I pushed myself away from him and turned to pick my belongings off the wet ground. _Great, just perfect…_

"I am not." I muttered defensively.

He laughed, as did Quil and Embry to my utter excitement. I glared at the car as I stood up once more. _Stupid Volkswagen Rabbit… _

"Come on, I'll take you to the office, you probably need your schedule still right?"

I turned my attention to Jake once more. His laughter had faded, but the glint was still in his eyes.

I sighed. As much as I'd like to just walk away right now, how else am I going to find the office and make it to my first class on time? I hate new schools…

"Yeah, thanks." I replied.

"No problem."

I followed him through the misty conditions into the school, Quil and Embry tagging along behind us. The halls were small and lined with old lockers, a few doors breaking the chain every so often. The office wasn't too far from the back entrance, which happened to be the one we came through.

The old lady at the front desk- was it?- had a folder ready for me when Jacob and I walked in. I took it with a hopefully grateful looking smile and a small 'thanks' before I was practically dragged out the door by the darker skinned boy beside me.

The folder was dark blue with yellow writing outlining the name of the school, La Push High- original right? There was also a white sticker with my name and grade stuck on the front, bold as day against the dark color of the folder. Cristina I. Depani: Grade 12. If anything screamed 'new kid!' this folder sure did.

"So what do you have first?" I glanced in Quil's- I think- direction when he asked.

"Uh…" I quickly pulled a yellow paper with my schedule on it out of the folder. A nine period schedule on a weekly basis caught my attention. "English." I replied as I looked over my schedule. Cool, one of my better subjects strangely enough.

"Nice, you're with me then." Embry stated with a smile.

My lips curled up in response; at least I'd know somebody in my first class.

"What do you have afterwards?" I jumped slightly at the sound of Jacobs voice, which was now behind me. _How the hell dose he do that?_

I glanced back at him before looking back down at my schedule. "Economics." Damn.

"I guess I'll see you then."

My cheeks flushed when I met his gaze. "Cool." was my rather intelligent response.

"We're gonna be late if we don't get going." Quil cut in matter-of-factly. "If I'm late again will give me detention, let's go." he continued with a small laugh.

"Come on, I'll show you the way." Embry instructed his hand grasping my upper arm to grab my attention. It felt as if someone had placed a piece of clothing fresh out of the dryer on my arm. How were these people so warm?

He quickly removed his hand however, holding his arms up in a motion of mock surrender. I raised a questioning eyebrow at this but then noticed that he wasn't looking at me. Then why-?

"Alright, _alright_ Jake. Damn…"

I glanced in said teen's direction at the comment. He didn't meet my gaze when I did; his glare was still narrowed on Embry. _What the hell-?_

"Jake let's go, I wouldn't be able to survive another detention with that woman." Quil stated as he shoved his shoulder to grab his attention.

"Alright…" he responded, still seemingly lost in thought.

"See ya guys." Quil said as he turned in the direction of his first class.

"Good luck Cris." Jacob called over his shoulder as the pair disappeared down the hall.

"Thanks." I called back, uncertain if he could still hear me.

I sighed. I'd probably need it. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't help me.

"Ready?" Embry questioned.

I met his brown gaze with a shrug. "As ready as I can be I suppose." I replied.

He chuckled lightly. "Follow me then." he instructed, motioning with a nod of his head in the opposite direction that Jake and Quil had taken. I obliged, unwillingly.

* * *

I shifted the weight of my bag from one shoulder to the other as I weaved my way though the surprisingly crowded hallway. With any luck I'd find my locker this time, then at least I'd know where to look tomorrow as it was the last period of the day already. The school day had gone by surprisingly quickly. I guess it was because I seemed to have at least one of the people I knew in every class over the course of the day, with the exception of my art class, last period.

So far my day has gone by without much incident. That is if you discount the weird conversation –or lack there of- between Embry and Jacob this morning and the abnormal multitude of blushes that have adorned my face over the time I have spent with Jake today. It can't possibly be healthy to have blood rush to your head that often… There was also of course, the fact that my locker doesn't seem to exist and the fact that everywhere I go I feel like I have a gigantic flashing arrow pointing in my direction. The looks didn't even die down when I decided to put my 'new kid' folder away, which, I was hoping, was what was drawing their attention.

This school must not receive too many new students…

Beside that my day has pretty much gone like this:

Enter English class with Embry by my side, receive curious looks from classmates, hurry through 'new kid introduction' –thank you -, take the book he offers to me that the class is reading –ugh, "Hamlet"-, take a seat at the back of the class by Embry, curious glances and whispers continue, struggle to follow along in the reading –the class is already halfway through the book and I hate old English-, laugh with class as makes fun of some of the characters – he doesn't seem to like play either, maybe this class won't turn out to be so bad-, bell finally rings.

Push my way through the hall in the direction Embry told me the Economics class room was in, bump into Jacob on my way – to my utter relief-, blush, stutter, and glare as he laughs at me, follow him to class, enter class room and meet , ignore the looks from the rest of the classroom, another introduction, sign out an Economics book – holy shit, do they make these things big enough?-, take a seat _conveniently_ by Jacob, try not to sleep through one of my worst classes, send notes back to Jacob as he tries to keep me awake –blush several times during conversation-, sigh in relief as the bell liberates me from the class.

Make my way through the hall once more –left to fend for myself as Jacob had to go in the opposite direction-, try to find locker -fail miserably-, manage to stumble into the class just as the bell rings, cue the stares and damn introduction –doesn't the school know who I am yet?-, grab math text book, notice Seth Clearwater as he waves to me at the back of the class, sit by him, find out that he's a Junior, pout because I was put in the stupid math class only to find out that he's just in advanced math –huh, imagine that-, sigh in relief as I realize that I know what Mr.S is teaching –his name is too difficult to remember, let alone pronounce-, feel drained when the bell rings –really, who's stupid idea was it to have a math class this early in the morning?

Follow Seth to Government, stare down the class hoping they'll stop looking at me –no luck-, finish the stupid introduction –are the teachers all against me or something?-, get a book, find out that Quil is also in this class with Seth and I, I manage to sit by the both of them, class passes far to quickly for my liking –it's actually one of the classes I don't mind-, the bell rings.

I follow them to lunch which I happen to have with the two of them as well as Jacob and Embry. At least this school food isn't as bad as my last school's. Lunch passes by with only a few incidents that cause my face to resemble a tomato and another failed attempt to find my locker.

I have Technology next, which I have with Jake. No introduction for this class –this guy may become my new favorite teacher-, but I do receive a few curious looks, more then necessary. But it is a motor vehicle technology class and I am the only girl in it now so I suppose that could be the reason. I manage to impress the teacher and some of the guys in the class –including Jake- which is nice. I also manage to make it through the class without blushing once –I'm not going to count the one at the very end of class because the bell managed to ring at _just_ the right moment.

He shows me the way to the Art room because he has to walk by it to get to his next class anyway. I say my thanks and walk into the room; thankfully it's not a very big class so there aren't many people to stare at me. has me introduce myself anyway. There's no one that I know in this class so I'm assigned to sit next to a girl with spiked blonde hair with bright red tips and bright green eyes. It turns out that her name is Melissa Grey and she is in my Economics class. She gives me one of her extra sketch books and fills me in on the assignment. The rest of class passes by rather uneventfully if I don't count the random, rather short, conversations that Melissa and I have from time to time.

After failing to find my locker once more, I make my way to my next class, study hall, which I have with Embry and Quil. We're in the cafeteria so we have a table to ourselves. We talk as we work on our homework and they fill me in on some of the information I need to do the damn stuff. Embry is especially helpful when it comes to reading "Hamlet". Somehow, I manage to finish everything except my math homework, but that's not surprising as I've always struggled in math.

When the bell rings I make a short attempt to find my locker for the last time as Embry and Quil lead me to the Gym, my last class of the day. I finally give up and decide on asking one of them for help. Miraculously they find it for me and I stuff my bag in the locker. We manage to make it to class just on time –we would've been earlier if I hadn't had to dig my gym clothes out of the bottom of my bag.

Mrs. Peters, the girl's gym teacher, gives me a combination lock for a gym locker, so I find an open one and change. I don't have much time to talk to Melissa, who happens to be in this class as well, as we're ordered out of the locker room and into the gym, which is what leads me to the present.

We're playing mat ball –a game kind of like kick ball only instead of bases there are mats and more then one person can stand on one mat at a time- with the guys this week. Everyone in my lunch is in my gym class, which apparently makes it a pretty hard core game. It makes sense I guess, with the size of the four guys and all.

My team consists of about ten people including Seth, Melissa, and Jacob. Embry and Quil are on the other. The game so far has gone relatively well, it took me a while to understand, but I got it. In the three times that I've kicked I've gotten on base twice, and scored once –apparently you have to go around to the four mats twice in order to score. The game is tied, and it's my turn to kick.

The pitcher –some guy named Dan- rolls the ball and I manage to get on base again. The next two people are out but in that time I manage to get around the bases once and to second base for the second time. I'm not the fastest person in the world, but I've always prided myself on the fact that I'm not a bad runner. I've played on a few soccer teams and have run for track teams a few times, but with all the moving Jen and I do I've decided to give up on joining the teams because I always manage to leave in the middle of a season.

Next up is Jacob; unsurprisingly he manages to kick another homerun. Apparently when someone kicks a homerun, only the person that kicks it gets to run the bases without the chance of getting thrown out. I blush when he winks and flashed a wide grin in my direction as he passes me on the bases.

"Do you know him?"

I glance in Melissa's direction at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, he's one of the first people I met when I got here." I respond.

"Oh." She smiles. "He seems to have taken an interest in you." she continues in a matter-of-fact tone. My blush deepens.

"What gives you that idea?" I ask, turning my attention to the pitcher again as he rolls the ball.

"He stares at you quite a bit, and he always smiles at you." she states, following me at an even pace as I run to the next mat.

"I'm new, everyone stares. And maybe he's just being friendly." I suggest.

"I don't think so…"

Before I can respond the bell rings and our class rushes into the locker rooms to change. I find my locker again, this time a little easier then last and remove the books I don't need from my bag before throwing it over my shoulder and moving towards the exit closest to my locker.

My breath hitches as a warm hand grasps mine. I turn quickly to meet Jacob's warm brown gaze. He smiles, my stomach flips.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." he says motioning for me to follow him. Not like I had much of a choice as he had yet to let go of my hand and he was practically dragging me behind him. My face turned beat red but I said nothing about the contact. It felt… nice.

I had to speed walk to keep up with him, which is kind of hard to do in the crowded hall ways. We weren't far from the exit luckily, so the pushing and shoving didn't last that long. It stopped the staring as well.

I followed him to his Volkswagen Rabbit and got in just as the motor thundered to life.

"What about Embry and Quil?" I asked as I slid into the front seat.

"They wanted to take the bus home." he shrugged and shifted the car into gear.

"Oh." was the only response I could muster.

"So how was your first day?" he questioned as we pulled out onto the road, the motor singing happily as he stepped on the gas.

"Not too bad actually." I replied. I've had worse. Much worse.

"I told you the school wasn't that bad." he stated with a smile.

My lips curled up in response. "No. I've been to worse."

He laughed.

The ride passed rather quickly to my disappointment. He put the car in park at the end of my driveway and I turned to him to say 'thanks' only to have him interrupt me.

"Are you doing anything later?" he asked curiously.

I flushed, damn him. "Well, I was supposed to paint my room when my mom got home, and she said something about setting up the living room while she was gone." I replied meeting his gaze.

"Do you need any help?" he offered almost as if on cue.

"You don't have to." I replied.

The motor shut down. "I don't mind." he stated, moving to get out of the vehicle.

I sighed and moved to open my own door only to have him open it for me. _How did he get there so fast?_

"T-thanks…" I mumbled as I moved out of the car.

"No problem."

I lead him to my door and opened it quickly, setting my bag by the door as I moved to let him in. "Feel free to raid the fridge, there's not much in there though." I offered as I moved into the living room.

The boxes my mother wanted unpacked were on the sofa like she promised. Just pictures and decorations for the tables and shelves. I sighed.

"Cris?"

I looked in the direction of my name. Jake was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, an apple in each hand.

"Yeah?" I responded curiously.

He tossed an apple to me. I juggled it slightly before actually managing to get a good hold on it. He smirked.

"There's someone here." he stated nodding his head in the direction of the window.

"What?" He didn't respond to the question as I moved to pull one of the curtains my mom had put up in front of the windows last night.

There was a moving truck in the road in front of our house. That could only mean one thing. A smile split my lips.

My baby was here.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you liked it. I tried to make it longer then usual. Let me know what you thought please?

Please review!

Later.

-HM11-


	4. Paint to Dream

**A/N:** So…. I'm really, really sorry about taking so long to get this chapter up… I really am. But I wanted to take the first semester of college and get it under my belt before I worried about anything else. All my other stories were left off for a bit as well just so everyone knows. Anyway thanks again for the reviews. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

_And I don't know,_

_How to be fine when I'm not._

_Cause I don't know,_

_How to make the feeling stop._

_Just so you know…_

-Just So You Know by Jesse McCartney

* * *

Chapter 4: Paint to Dream

_He tossed an apple to me. I juggled it slightly before actually managing to get a good hold on it. He smirked. _

"_There's someone here." he stated nodding his head in the direction of the window._

"_What?" He didn't respond to the question as I moved to pull one of the curtains my mom had put up in front of the windows last night. _

_There was a moving truck in the road in front of our house. That could only mean one thing. A smile split my lips._

_My baby was here._

I practically ran to the door in an attempt to get to the truck first. I wrenched the door open, managing to dodge it just barely as it seemed to be aiming for my face, and rushed out into the light rain. It was here!

I stumbled slightly on the slippery rocks of the path on my way but managed to get to the truck in no time. I waited impatiently as the driver got out of his truck and moved to open the back. It seemed to take eternity for him to actually move it out onto the road so that I could finally get a good look at it. I would've jumped in and got it myself but the truck drivers usually aren't too happy about that… huh.

I smiled brightly at the man as he brought it out, receiving a nod for my efforts before he walked away. I pulled the sheet covering it off as soon as the driver let it go, my smile widening – if it was possible- when the familiar blue and black paint came into view.

"Nice bike."

I glanced up at Jake whom stood on the opposite side of my dirt bike, half eaten apple in hand. When did he get there?

"Thanks." I chimed, moving it into the lawn as the truck driver pulled away from the curb.

I ran my hands over the handles and seat as I led Jake behind my house toward the little shed hidden amongst the towering trees in our back yard. I loved this bike. About three years ago I finally convince my mom to let me get one, at that time we lived up in the hills of Montana, the perfect place to ride in the summer.

I taught myself how to ride. I crashed it up a few times, and I've had my share of bruises and broken bones because of it but I wouldn't give this thing up for the world. Over the past three years I've put a lot of money and time into this thing, so much that I have yet to get myself a car because of it. It's… like an obsession, well maybe not that extreme but you know what I mean.

"Does she work?" Jacob questioned curiously as he held the door to the shed open for me.

"She'd better. I just put a whole new front end in a few months ago." I laughed, putting the kick stand down and stepping back to look it over again. I'd need to wash it soon, maybe wax it too…

"Awesome, maybe we can go riding together sometime?" he suggested, stepping in himself.

"You have a bike?" I asked excitedly. How much better could this guy get?

"Nah, but I have a motorcycle, but it might as well be a dirt bike on some of these roads." He responded with a smile.

I returned his smile with one of my own, genuine this time. "That would be cool." I stated, answering his previous question.

"It's a date then." He replied, his dark eyes twinkling as my cheeks flooded with color.

"Yeah."

"Cris?!" I glanced in the direction of my name. Jen was home.

"Coming!" I called in return, throwing another –dry- sheet over my bike before moving towards the door.

I would've been back in the house sooner then I was, a lot less pink as well. I really would've if Jacob hadn't moved for the door at the same time I did. I mean really, who on earth built that shack? Did they perhaps think that a reasonable sized door _wasn't_ necessary?

Or maybe whoever's up there is doing their best to embarrass me every chance they get… They're doing pretty well so far.

My hazel gaze met his deep brown for an agonizing moment, causing my face to go a shade redder, before I looked away my heart pounding in my chest. What on earth had I done to deserve such punishment lately?! If it's because of that day I closed my old neighbor's- Mrs. Tyler was her name right?- cat in the dumpster across the street because it had recently attacked my ankles while I was walking home then I'm sorry, okay!? I won't harm a poor, innocent creature again- even if it did deserve it, the little bastard…

"I-I…. I'm sorry… uh…" I stuttered, ignoring the flutter in my stomach when he moved slightly, his warm body still pressed against mine in the confined space that the doorway provided.

He chuckled lightly, a warm, comforting sound, one that sent a wave of content through my body. He met my gaze again, a small smile crossing his lips. "Well…this is a bit of a problem isn't it?" he laughed.

I felt a small smile cross my lips at the sound. I don't know how he did it… but there was something about him that made me smile, that made me feel welcome, like I was home. "Yeah…" I replied with a small laugh.

His laughter slowly died as he looked back down at me after surveying the size of the door around us. The smile remained and his eyes softened from humor to something that I couldn't place. My heart skipped a beat. _What is this?_

"Cris? Are you out here? What's taking you so- oh!"

My eyes ripped away from his and landed on my mother who stood in the back doorway of the house. A smirk crossed her lips as she folded her arms over her chest in a teasing fashion. My face flushed a crimson red.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"she questioned with a small laugh, a mocking light in her eyes.

"What?! N-no! I-I… it was an accident. The door's too small for two people and…" I muttered squirming my way out of the door way and away from the warmth of Jacob's body. "We got… stuck…" I finished rather unimpressively, smoothing the ruffles out of my clothes.

"Uh huh… if you say so Cris." Jen laughed. "Well if you're done out here then I've got that paint for you to get started on your room." She continued with a wink as she turned to move back into the house.

I glared at her back as she disappeared into the house and glanced back at Jacob who stood behind me. His lips split into a smile when I met his gaze. I laughed. "I guess we should get in there before she gets anymore wrong ideas." I suggested, turning to follow my mother into the house.

His laugh was enough to jump start my heart.

* * *

"The _Mercy Thompson Series_ by Patricia Briggs? You really read this kind of stuff?" There was an amused tone to his voice as he turned the first book of one of my favorite series over in his hand. I glared at him and snatched it from his hand, putting the book back in the box he'd pulled it from. We were waiting for the first coat of the green paint on my walls to dry and passing the time by looking through some of the boxes left to be unpacked in my room.

"They're good books." I responded defensively.

He laughed. "They're about werewolves, vampires, and magic." He stated teasingly.

"So? I think that stuff is kind of interesting." I replied turning over of my pictures in my hand. It had been taken when mom and I lived in New York –not the city, the state. It was of me and one of my old friends Samuel Bones- I had always called him Sam- he had been my first crush. Of course I was like nine at the time, but still. I haven't talked to him in a while… I put the picture aside feeling his gaze on my back the whole time.

"They're ridiculous, and completely wrong." He continued, looking over my shoulder as I flipped through one of my old picture books.

"Oh? And how would you know? Have you ever met a vampire? Or a werewolf?" I asked in the same teasing tone he had used earlier.

"What if I have?"

I glanced back at him over my shoulder, he met my gaze. His voice had sounded so serious, curious even. _Curious about what? _I turned my eyes back to my picture book, ignoring the way my stomach fluttered at his proximity.

"I'd say that'd be pretty awesome. Too bad they don't exist." I answered with a small laugh.

He moved around to the other side of the box in front of me so that he sat across from me. "You know, La Push has its own stories about vampires and werewolves." He said with a small smile.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, interested by the slight suggestive tone to his voice.

"Yeah. Like, you know, the Quileutes are apparently descendants of the wolves." He responded, his deep gaze catching mine.

"So then you're like… part wolf?" I questioned a teasing tone to my voice.

"You could say that." He said it almost matter-of-factly, his lips slitting into a small smirk.

I laughed. "Well that's cool."

His grin widened, causing my face to tint a light shade of pink.

"Well… I think maybe we could try to paint the next coat if you're still up to helping me out?" I stated, changing the subject and standing.

"Sounds good to me." He responded, standing to follow me to the bucket of paint- or what was left of it.

The second coat went on easily, of course, that was with a few lines and dots of paint ending up on the two of us- by accident of course. But it wasn't long before we were done and putting my furniture back in its rightful places. And that of course went without incident- his tripping me so that I fell on my bed face first and the pillow slipping out of my hand and hitting him in the back of the head was definitely _not_ on purpose. And it definitely w_asn't _flirting as Jen suggested when she came up to give us some snacks she had bought while she was out.

It was around seven and dark by the time we were finally able to make our way back down stairs. Jen had left to go to the store again, having remembered what she had gone to get the first time around.

"Well um… do you want anything to eat or something?" I asked glancing back at him as I moved into the kitchen. He followed, a small smile gracing his features.

"Nah, but thanks, I should probably head home anyway. Dad's probably wondering where I am." He replied, grabbing his bag off the back of one of the chairs at our small kitchen table.

"Oh, alright. Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it." I said again stepping back slightly as he swung his bag back over his shoulder.

How on earth did he manage to smile so brightly so often?

"It's no big." He responded.

"If there's anything I can do to pay you back for it let me know." I stated, moving to open the door for him.

"I'll think of something." He responded stopping to look down at me in the door frame.

Why did his smile make me feel like I could fly?

"Good. My mom would kill me if I didn't do anything for you in return." I laughed.

"Awesome. Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning." He stated turning to walk out the door.

"Wait." He stopped mid-step, turning to glance at me over his shoulder, raising a questioning eyebrow. I blushed slightly. There must be some kind of broken blood vessel in me that causes my face to turn red so easily. "So are you… picking me up for school again or what?" I questioned, curious about what he meant by 'morning'- like in school or before. It wasn't like I w_anted_ him to pick me up. I was just curious. And the flutter in my stomach definitely had nothing to do with it.

A small smirk crossed his lips. "That was the plan." He stated, casting a wave back at me over his shoulder.

A smile split my lips and didn't leave my face until I couldn't see his Volkswagen speeding down the street anymore.

* * *

"So Jake seems nice."

I rolled my eyes as I bit into the pasta dish Jen had made for dinner. "Yeah, he's cool." I responded.

She smiled. "You too looked pretty cozy in that shed." She stated teasingly.

I cast a glare in her direction, which was probably offset by the red tint on my cheeks. "It was an accident mom." I replied.

"You know I was wondering whose car was sitting in the driveway when I got home. Imagine my surprise to find you and Jacob rubbing up against each other in the shed."

I choked on my pasta and turned my glare on her. "Mom!" I protested.

"What? It's perfectly normal Cris, and I have to give you props, he's definitely attractive." Jen winked as she took another bite of his dinner, a wide smirk on her lips.

I ignored her. "I was putting my bike away, when you called me we moved at the same time and got stuck in that incredibly too small doorway of the damned shed. That's all." I stated defensively.

"And I'm sure the way you blushed when I found the two of you meant nothing." She laughed.

I glared. "Exactly." I replied, just to humor her.

Her eyes twinkled. "And the way he was looking at you meant nothing at all." She teased.

"W-what?" I stuttered, almost choking again. Damn her, was she trying to kill me?

"Oh, never mind dear." She chimed, smirk still upon her lips.

I sighed, my face resembling that of a tomato. "Whatever mom." I mumbled. Jen laughed.

Well at least she was amused.

* * *

_It was raining again, raining so hard that the drops were actually making it through the trees. I wouldn't have minded if it didn't make everything so dark, if the wind didn't make the shadows move the way they did, if it wasn't so cold, if I wasn't running. _

_I couldn't run fast enough to get away from them. They were toying with me now and I knew it, but I couldn't stop, I wouldn't die here. Their blood red eyes wouldn't have me if I could help it._

_So I'd run._

_My feet dug into the dirt beneath me at the sound of the growl that came from the trees in front of me, all the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. I'd never heard anything like it. I'd never felt the kind of chill it sent through my bones, not even after looking into those blood red eyes._

_What followed the growl was a giant wolf the size of a bear or bigger. His russet fur was wet with the rain and the mud from the earth and its eyes were a warming shade of brown that seemed to glow in the shadows of the trees. Despite its size, the beast held a majestic beauty to it that spoke of nothing but the power it held, that radiated with magic. _

_My breath hitched in my chest as it moved closer, barring its fangs._

* * *

My next day of school went relatively the same as the last with a few less looks and a few more people gathering up the courage to talk to me in some of my classes. My locker was still a bitch to find, and I still needed a guide to some of my classes every now and again, but I managed. My body somehow managed to turn my face red a few times during the day- especially during Technology with Jake. I don't understand how I haven't passed out from blood loss to other parts of my body or trauma to my head… or something…

But even with all the commotion that came with attending a new school and all the homework I'd gotten over the past day, I couldn't manage to get the dream I'd had the night before out of my head. I'd dreamt of running before. I'd even dreamt of those eyes before, blood red and haunting. But I'd never run into anything as terrifying or as beautiful as that wolf- if you could call it that considering its size- before. I'd never felt the power that radiated off of the creature before either. It was terrifying, and yet when I woke up this morning, I felt safe… Safe from what I'm not sure, but it was something I hadn't truly felt in a long time… ever since those eyes had first appeared in my dreams.

"Cris?"

I jumped slightly at the sound of my name and turned my attention towards Jake who stood next to me, waiting for me to finish what I was doing in my locker. "Yeah?" I responded.

"Do you need a ride home or not?" he questioned, raising a questioning eyebrow at my response as if he had asked me this before. Had I zoned out?

"Uh… yeah, sure, thanks." I replied with a smile, closing my locker as I did.

His lips split into a smile in return. "Alright then, let's go."

I followed him out of the building just as I had the day before, managing to keep myself from blushing as badly when he took my hand. I thanked him when he opened the door of the car for me, tossing my bag into the back seat again, seeing as Embry and Quil had chosen to take the bus home again. The ride home was reasonably uneventful; I managed to keep myself from turning red the whole way home at least. I was still surprised when we pulled up next to my house again.

"Well thanks again for the ride Jake." I mumbled, reaching into the back seat to grab my bag. He beat me too it. I smiled slightly when he handed it to me.

"No problem." He replied with a small smile. I shrugged my bag over my shoulder and moved to open the door.

"So I think I thought of something you could do to repay me for helping you paint your room last night…" his tone was suggestive, teasing almost.

I laughed, "Oh yeah? And what's that?" I questioned curiously my hand pausing on the handle of the car door.

"Well, you could let me take you out this Friday… you know, show you around La Push." Jake stated.

_Like a date? _Damn it body, stop sending so much blood to my face! I'm going to pass out if you keep doing this to me!

"I-I… well I…"

"Come on Cris, it'll be fun, I promise. We can hang out with the gang; show you some of the cool spots to relax." He insisted, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel gently.

So… not like a date? Why did I feel like someone just pulled a stool out from under me? That's better isn't it? Hadn't the thought of it being like a date been why I'd been so hesitant?

"Yeah… alright, why not?" I responded with a small smile.

His smile widened and he leaned across the seat and me, placing his hand on mine- making my blush a shade redder- and pushed the door open for me. After staying in that position a moment longer than necessary he moved back to his seat behind the wheel, smile still in place.

"Then I guess I'll pick you up tomorrow for school." He stated, his warm brown eyes catching my hazel.

I nodded and got out of the car slowly. Pausing before pushing the door shut behind me. I turned to look at him. "Wait, does that mean if I'd said no that you wouldn't have picked me up for school tomorrow?" I questioned.

He smirked. "Maybe." He responded in a teasing tone.

I laughed. "Whatever Jake, I'll see you tomorrow." I stated moving to shut the door.

"I'll be counting on that." Came his response as the door clicked shut. I blushed, he laughed, his brown eyes meeting mine once more before he pulled away.

Come to think of it, the only time I feel as remotely safe as I did this morning after that dream is when I look at him.

_What on earth am I doing?_

* * *

**A/N:** Alright now that I've finally managed to update please review. Sorry again for taking so long, the updates should come a little more frequently now that I have an idea of what to expect from college. Thanks again for the support in the past. Hope youliked it, even though I didn't really.

Please review!

See ya!

-HM11-


	5. Wake Up Dreamer

**A/N: **Hey everyone! So obviously I changed the title of this story, sorry for the confusion. I just like this a little better. See I told you they'd be a little more frequent, emphasis on the little. Sorry about the lateness, I'm still trying to work out the kinks to college life, but I'm getting it so I should start to get better about this updating thing again. Please vote at the end! Anyways, here's chapter 5!

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You follow what you feel inside  
It's intuitive, you don't have to try  
It comes naturally  
It comes naturally  
And it takes my breath away  
What you do so naturally.

-Naturally by Selena Gomez

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Chapter 5: Wake Up Dreamer

So we were assigned this new art project yesterday… it was called The Dream Diary. Which I guess is a pretty convenient name for the project considering what we have to do for it… Our assignment is to draw a prominent point in the dreams we remember for the next month and set a word, phrase, quote, or set of lyrics within the picture to describe the picture or how we feel about it. Don't get me wrong, I actually think the project is a really good idea, and I like it… I just… don't like the 'dreams you remember' part. Most of the dreams I remember are ones that I would rather not share…

And as an extra bonus our first entry is to be the first dream we remember from this past week. Guess which one that is for me? That's right, red eyes, rain, running, and a giant wolf. That won't make me look insane.

And to make things even better, tomorrow night I have my 'not-a-date' with Jacob, which, despite the fact that it's _not_ a date, has thrown my nerves into over drive. So naturally I jump at anything that moves, heart pounding, butterflies fluttering, and depending on who's around- and I'm not saying Jacob- face blushing.

Sometimes… I think Lady Fate is out to get me.

I glanced out my bedroom window as the rain started coming down in waves, just as the weatherman promised. I sighed and turned back to the blank sketchbook in front of me. My first drawing was due tomorrow. I've been 'working' on this drawing for hours already, and there still wasn't a mark on the paper.

At least I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me I was right.

_

* * *

_

The chill in the air made my breath condense before me. The icy feel of the rain made my skin tingle. The fear made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

_Every part of me screamed at me to move. Every part of me begged me to flee. But I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I couldn't look away. It'd been a long time since I'd felt this way. _

_Not even the eyes held me like this did._

_Barring its fangs the bear sized wolf moved towards me, gracefully, silently stepping over the stick and leaf strew earth beneath it. Had it not been for the growl that rumbled in its chest, the fear that he caused, one would think its existence an illusion._

_His fierce brown eyes fell on me once more before moving around me, so close that I could touch him if I dared. So close that his fur brushed lightly against my skin. My breath hitched at the feeling._

_I turned slowly to look in the direction of the wolf. The eyes were still there, hovering just beyond the trees. What stopped them? What were they waiting for?_

_The growl that sounded from the beast in front of me was thunderous. The power radiating off of him was crippling and sent chills rolling down my spine._

_I watched unbelievingly as the eyes slowly faded away, disappearing into the trees one by one. As they faded, so did his growl, until all that you could hear was the rain hitting the leaves of the trees above us._

_He turned to look at me then, brown eyes warm and welcoming, and the fear washed away. The feeling when his eyes met mine was like electricity._

* * *

I jumped slightly when the small, folded piece of paper landed on my Economics notebook unexpectedly. Jacob smirked when I glanced in his direction. I rolled my eyes and quietly opened the note.

'Ready for tonight?' was written in his messy scrawl at the top of the page.

I blushed and picked up my pencil to respond. 'Depends…'

My handwriting was a bit neater and smaller than his, but contrasted nicely on the paper beneath his question.

'Depends on what?'

'What we're doing…'

'It's a surprise.'

'Why would I have to be ready for it anyway? Aren't you and the guys just showing me around town?'

'I've been sworn to secrecy on the matter.'

'Oh, I'm sure.'

He winked when I shot a glare at him over my shoulder. My cheeks tinted pink when he did. I huffed and turned back to my notes in response, but not soon enough to hide my blush.

The familiar piece of paper landed before me again and I sighed as I pulled it open. 'Dress comfortably and bring a change of clothes. You may need them.' There was a winking smiley face beside the sentence.

Before I could respond with the question 'Why?' the bell rang and we were moving out of the room toward our next class, his conveniently in the opposite direction. He cast a smile and a wink in my direction before disappearing in the crowd of students. I smiled faintly in response, cursing the blush that lined my face.

* * *

The majority of the day went by with only hints about what Jake had in store for me later tonight coming from him and the rest of the group. It was annoying really, having someone dangle something like that just out of your reach. It was especially annoying when more then one person enjoyed doing so.

Art class was my heaven today when it came to that.

It was my hell when it came to my Dream Diary.

The good news is and most of the class liked it, including Melissa. I managed to make it look like I wasn't quite insane, but just on the edge of strange dreams, especially when compared to the other illustrations and paintings which containing normal things like school, and everyday activities with slightly unusual twists.

I had decided to paint the forest and the rain and the blurred image of a girl running. Blurred just enough that you couldn't exactly tell that it was me. If you looked close you could see the faint coloring of small red eyes around the figure, blurred almost to the point of non-existence. Written in the trees were some of the lyrics _"__I believe that dreams are sacred. Take my darkest fears and play them like a lullaby, like a reason why, like a play of my obsessions. Make me understand the lesson, so I'll find myself, so I won't be lost again"_ of the song 'All that I'm Living For' by Evanescence. All in all I was reasonably happy with my first 'entry'.

My next task was to figure out what to use for my next entry. All ideas at the moment included a bear sized wolf… Which, you know, made sense because that's a normal everyday occurrence. Yeah… right…

Hence the reason I sat with my a blank piece of paper in front of me with no intentions of doing anything to it at the moment while the rest of the class was hard at work on their next piece. Melissa glanced up at me curiously, her green eyes looking over my blank paper before she did.

"What's wrong Cris?"

I met her gaze for a moment before smiling faintly. "I'm trying to decide what to paint for my next entry." I replied, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Ah… do you not remember your dreams?" she questioned turning her attention back to her own painting as she ran the brush across what looked to be a field of flowers.

"Eh… no I remember them…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know where to start…"

She smiled as she looked up at me then. Her spikes were died a deep purple today, contrasting her bright green eyes and pale skin nicely. "Then don't think about it. Just put your brush to the paper and paint. That's what I do." She suggested.

I raised a questioning eyebrow. She shrugged and got back to work.

I sighed and looked back down at my blank sheet of paper before picking up my pencil.

* * *

"Want a ride?"

I smiled as I closed my locker to see him standing there, leaning against the other lockers like he usually did. Despite the fact that I was slightly annoyed with the fact that he refused to tell me what we would be doing later it was nice to have some kind of stability in a new school already. For some reason I felt like I could always count on him to be there at the end of the day. It was something I wasn't used to… but enjoyed.

"Sure."

His smile never failed to make my stomach flip. When he took my hand my breath still hitched. When he led me through the halls I still blushed. I still let a breath loose when we got to his car. I still smiled at the familiar sound of his motor.

I've only known him for a couple weeks, but I talk about him like it's been ages. I think about him like I've known him my whole life. When we're alone I feel like he's always been a part of my world… like he is my world… and it worries me. I've been too attached to things, to people before. And it hurts too much to let them go when I have to.

I don't want to have to let him go too.

I blushed when his hand fell on mine, stopping me from opening the car door. My breath hitched when he turned to look at me, still leaning across me, his hand still on mine. His deep brown eyes were breathtaking, the smile that split his lips made my heart skip, his proximity made my stomach turn. What was happening to me?

"So I'll pick you up at 7?" his voice was quiet, his breath was hot against my lips. He was so close, so unbearably close. Almost as if he were teasing.

I smiled faintly in response. "O-okay." I stuttered.

He grinned and moved to push the strap of my bag back onto my shoulder, his fingers leaving a burning trail up my arm as he did, before he pulled away. As he did I let loose a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. It was a minute or two before I realized I could move.

"Oh I-I… I'll see you later then." I muttered moving quickly out of the car.

He laughed lightly as I did. "See you at 7 Cris."

I shut the door behind me, casting a wave over my shoulder in response as I made my way through the rain to my house. I listened to his engine hum as he drove away before closing the front door behind me. I leaned my back against it, letting my head fall back against the curtained window, and breathed.

If he was teasing, it was working.

"Welcome home Cris."

I jumped slightly as my mother moved into the kitchen, turning my attention to her.

"Hey mom, when did you get home?" I asked moving away from the door and towards our tiny kitchen table, setting my bag on the back of my chair before sitting down.

"We got out early today." Jen shrugged, rolling an apple across the table to me as she sat down as well.

"Thanks." I muttered as I took a bite.

"Mhmm." She responded, taking a sip of what looked like a glass of iced tea. "So I heard you have a date with Jake tonight."

I choked and looked up at her. "Who told you that?" I asked.

Jen laughed. "Emily did. Don't be so surprised, it's a small town, I'd find out sooner or later." She took another drink of her tea. "I'm proud of you, getting a date with such a good looking boy this soon after we moved in." she winked, laughing all the while.

"It's not a date." I stated, taking a big, angry bite out of my apple.

"That's not what Emily said." she replied in a teasing tone.

"It's _not_ a date. He and a couple of the guys are going to show me around town tonight, that's all." I grumbled.

She laughed, "Whatever you say."

I hate when she gets like this. It's only happened once before, but there's a reason I didn't tell her about this not-a-date.

"So what are you going to wear?" she questioned, almost too curiously.

"He said to dress comfortably and to bring a change of clothes, other then that I'm not sure." I replied, taking a less violent bite out of my apple.

"Okay…"

There was a glint in her eyes that made me a little uncomfortable. She smirked as she lifted her tea to her lips once more.

"Mom… no."

She laughed.

* * *

I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror, reflected hazel eyes meeting mine as I glanced at the outfit my mother and I had finally settled on after arguing over it for the past couple hours. It wasn't terrible, considering what horrors she could've created.

We finally settled on a rather tight, but comfortable pair of blue jeans, a dark purple v-neck t-shirt, which I choose to wear a black tank-top under seeing as it hung a little low for my taste and was once again slightly tighter then necessary. I also grabbed a black zipper up hoody as it was only the beginning of April and was bound to get cold, all rounded off with a pair of socks and sneakers. Jen had straightened my black hair and pulled a small portion of it back into a small purple clip with a flower at the end of it. Hanging about my neck was my favorite necklace. Around my wrist I wore a black hair-tie, just in case.

I glanced at the clock on my bedside table before throwing my small duffle bag over my shoulder and making my way down stairs. Luckily I was able to shove some extra clothes in a bag while she wasn't looking, so she had no say in what those would be. Jen looked up from her book as I entered the living room, a small smile crossing her lips. I rolled my eyes, but smiled back.

"Now see, is that so bad?" she asked in a teasing tone.

She laughed at the look I threw her way.

"You look nice Cris." She stated, her eyes softening.

"Thanks Mom." I replied.

We both jumped at the loud knock that echoed through the house. I glanced at the clock and shifted my bag on my shoulder. Jen smirked.

"That's probably your date."

"It's not a date."

She laughed again and lifted her book once more. "Have fun!"

"Thanks." I muttered as I moved to answer the door.

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A/N:

Again sorry for the wait. At least it's a decent length, right? And sorry for cutting it off like that, but on the up side I already have chapter 6 started, so it shouldn't take too long to update! Hope you liked the chapter! Anyways I plan on putting a new Twilight story up eventually, so I'd like a vote to see what my readers would be most interested in reading...

Please VOTE!

Half of My Heart

Summary: "I promise…"

Promise- one's pledge to another that one will or will not do something.

"You promised you'd always be there…"

A broken promise is equal to a broken heart if it's broken by someone precious to you.

"But when I needed you the most you were no where to be found…"

How do you trust the one that broke your heart? How do you find the courage to put your heart in their hands? Could you do it? Could you trust them not to crush the fragile pieces again?

"It's all a game of truth or dare now-a-days isn't it?"

Truth: Tell me how you feel…

Dare: _Prove it_…

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Beautiful Monster

Summary: "All I remember is waking up like this… What happened next was a nightmare… and all I knew was that I was afraid. Afraid of the fear, the pain, the blood, afraid of me." My hands shook. I could see them doused in red. Blood. My Blood.

"And then I met you."

He smiled as he moved towards me, the smile that chased away my nightmares. His hands were warm, so much warmer then mine.

"And I'm not afraid anymore."

He brushed the hair from my eyes, meeting my gaze. My black eyes relecting in his brown.

"You should be."

What if the only person you found comfort in, the only person that drove away the fear, the only person you dared to love was the very person you feared the most?

"I don't want to be a monster."

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Please review and vote!

Later!

-HM11-


	6. Not A Date

**A/N:** So… the last chapter kinda sucked… sorry about that. But thanks for the reviews! Well here's chapter 6! Hope you like it! PLEASE VOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!

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And I've, well I've seen a thousand things in one place

_But I stopped my counting when I saw your face_

_Erasing memory, well I feel as though I've never seen a face before_

_Until I saw your eyes_

_And they're smiling back at me through my tears_

_I've been counting all these years, oh_

_Suddenly the thousand things I've seen were nothing more than dreams of_

_Of you and me_

_You and me_

-1000 Things by Jason Mraz

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Chapter 6: Not A Date

We both jumped at the loud knock that echoed through the house. I glanced at the clock and shifted my bag on my shoulder. Jen smirked.

"That's probably your date."

"It's not a date."

She laughed again and lifted her book once more. "Have fun!"

"Thanks." I muttered as I moved to answer the door.

Sure enough it was Jacob, standing in my doorway like the day I had met him. Just a little dryer and slightly better dressed. He wore a long-sleeved, forest green shirt with the sleeves rolled up instead of a wet t-shirt, and in place of sweat pants he wore a pair of blue jeans and sneakers.

"Hi Jake."

He grinned when I met his gaze. My heart missed a beat.

"You look great." He stated, his eyes moving over me. My cheeks flushed instantly in response. His smile widened.

"Ready to go?" he questioned as he moved to take my bag from me. I shrugged slightly out of his way; smiling at the look he gave me.

"Yep." I replied as I moved out the door. The sky was relatively clear for once which meant no rain. I guess I couldn't argue with that.

"Have her back by one Jake!" Jen called from the living room as I closed the door. I sighed. "Mom!" I could here her laugh from the living room. Jacob laughed with her, "I will," he responded. I rolled my eyes and followed him down the path towards the familiar Volkswagen Rabbit.

"So are you going to tell me what we're doing tonight?" I asked as I moved to open the car door. It was locked.

"It's a surprise."

I turned to look up at him, only to find him much closer then I had expected. I jumped, my back pressing against the side of the car. He took a step closer and my breath hitched. He was so close I could feel the body heat radiating off of him. So close that if he were to lean in just a little more, there'd be nothing but thin layers of clothing between us. So close that if I were to stand on my tippy toes…

My heart thundered in my chest, drummed in my ears. _What is he doing to me?_

He smirked as he leaned closer, stopping only millimeters away. His touch sent a shiver down my spine as he ran his fingertips down my arm. His eyes, deep and warm, never left mine. Did he hear? Does he know?

There was a small click and he slowly moved away. As he did I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. His smirk became a grin as he held my bag up before me, letting it rock side to side on his hand teasingly. I looked at my shoulder and back at his hand in disbelief. When did he get that from me? I glared and made a grab for it only to have him pull it out of my reach.

He laughed. "Get in," he said as he moved around the car, tossing my bag in the back seat before sitting down himself. I huffed and followed, my door opening much easier now then before. I shot a glare at Jacob as I buckled up.

"Oh come on Cris, I was just kidding around." He flashed a smile my way, the smile I was quickly growing to love, as the hum of the engine flowed through the car.

Why could just a smile make everything alright? Why did the look in his eyes make my stomach flip? Why is it that the only time I feel truly happy here is when I'm with him?

* * *

By the time we got where we were going – which had taken us through a lot of trees and down a lot of dark and bumpy dirt roads that reminded me of those paths you hear about that people get raped or even murdered on – it was dark. Which, of course, added to the creepy feeling of the roads. Not that I was worried… or scared.

It certainly helped to get out of the car and to be able to make out the dark out lines of other cars and to even see the light of a fire not too far away. Apparently it didn't help enough though, because I still managed to squeak at the sight of an opossum scurrying across the ground in front of me. Naturally I jumped, and of course it happened to be backwards into Jacob, who laughed and teased me in response. I had glared and responded with a few choice words of my own, aimed at him and at the damned opossum.

Alright, so maybe it did creep me out a little.

Still laughing he took my hand and pulled me towards the fire. His hand was warm and his touch comforting, his laugh even more so. It was all I needed to feel at ease again.

"What are we doing here?" I asked curiously, now noticing the shadows of others moving, and the sounds of people talking and laughing around the fire.

"Well, every now and again a group of us gets together to hear legends and stories about the Quileute's. And, you know, eat some hot dogs and stuff like that." He laughed.

"Oh." I looked back at the group around the fire then, now being able to pull out a few familiar forms and faces. "That's cool." I stated.

He smiled in response and tugged at my hand a little more, pulling me towards the group just a little bit faster. I followed.

I recognized the group from school and the few others that tagged along a few weeks ago to help Jen and I move in. Embry, Quil, Seth, his sister Leah, Jared, Sam and Emily – who literally jumped on me when we made ourselves know, pregnant belly and all, earning herself a few comments from some of the others. She had laughed in response and told Sam 'not to worry so much'. To which he gave her a look, seeing as if Jacob hadn't been behind me when she did, the two of us would've tumbled to the ground.

There were several others among them that I didn't recognize, which of course meant that it was time for introductions, courtesy of Emily who had pulled me away from Jake to do so. He smiled as she did and made his way over to a large pile of food on the back of a pickup truck that had been backed into the fire light where Embry and Quil stood talking.

The introductions were rather quick. A large man that resembled the rest of them named Paul, a few kids that were obviously younger then the others, but still similar in build and appearance named Collin and Brady. There was also Jared's girlfriend, Kim, a girl with long, wispy black hair, familiar russet skin, and wide eyes, Seth and Leah's mother Sue Clearwater, and an elderly, white haired man who turned out to be Quil's grandfather, whom they called 'Old Quil'.

Looking around the group I began to realize that I must stick out like sore thumb. Everyone here simply looked like they belonged. Not only to each other, but also to this place, from the trees in the earth to the rock cliff-side we sat on now. They held a natural beauty, from their russet skin to their brown eyes, and moved almost as if they were extensions of the earth itself. They did not only own this land, they were a part of it.

"Cris."

I jumped slightly and turned towards my name to meet the brown-eyed gaze of a smiling Jacob. I felt the corners of my lips lift in response.

"What's up?" I questioned curiously, following without question as he took my hand and lead me through several of the others.

I bumped into his back as he came to a sudden stop in front of me. He pulled me slightly forward to stand next to him before I could say anything about it and grinned, stopping any comment I'd had before in it's tracks.

"Cris, this is my dad Billy Black." I turned my gaze in the direction he motioned with his chin to meet the black-eyed gaze of his father. I could tell instantly whom Jacob took after in his family, noticing the similar russet skin, long black hair and dark eyes. He held a welcoming air about him, along with one of authority, despite the fact that he was confined to a wheel chair.

I smiled and reached out to shake the hand he offered in greeting. "I'm Cris Depani." I replied.

He smiled in response, "It's nice to meet you." He stated in a deep, rough voice.

"And my sister Rachel." Jake stated, turning his gaze up to a woman with long back hair and light brown eyes. Her skin was a lighter russet then Jacob and Billy's, but she was obviously related when you compared the bone structure of her face to both of theirs, only with a softer, feminine look. She must take after their mother.

She smiled and reached a hand over her fathers shoulder from behind the wheelchair. "Nice to finally meet you." She stated.

"Finally?" I asked, shaking her hand.

Rachel grinned and glanced up at Jacob, "well he only talks about you all the time." She stated.

My cheeks heated up instantly as I glanced up at Jake, who's cheeks had darkened considerably despite the glare he shot at his sister. She laughed in response.

_He talks about me all the time? _

Rachel's laugh ceased quickly when one of the others appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist suddenly. She jumped and spun around in his arms, glaring. "Paul!"

He laughed, and placed a short peck on her lips in response. Her glare softened as her lips curved up into a small smile.

"Rachel also happens to be Paul's girlfriend." Jake stated. I glanced up at him then, a faint scowl lined his lips. I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Jake! Cris! Come get some food before it's gone!" Emily called, gaining our small groups attention.

Gone? How could a truckload of food be gone that quickly? My eyes widened when I caught sight of the truck. Half of what had been there when we arrived had already disappeared. How the hell did these guys eat so much?

A warm hand at the small of my back led me in that direction and then nothing else mattered.

* * *

I blushed slightly when Jake pulled me down next to him, so close that I was practically sitting in his lap. He grinned and I rolled my eyes and turned my gaze to the rest of the circle before my cheeks could flush anymore than they already were. Most of the truckload of food was gone by now and everyone was beginning to take their seats around the still rather large fire.

At the head of our circle sat Sue Clearwater, Old Quil, and Billy. Beside Jacob and I sat Quil and Embry, who – I'm proud to say- I can almost distinguish from one another now. With a huff and a grin Seth plopped down between Quil and Jared, who's girlfriend Kim sat between his legs, leaning with her back against his chest, eyes closed comfortably as he ran his fingers through her hair. I couldn't help but watch the way he looked at her, the way he held her so delicately; it was picturesque. I flushed slightly when Jared looked up at me with a small smile, noticing I'd been staring. I smiled in return and continued to look around our group.

Beside them sat Paul and Rachel who leaned contentedly against the former's side, light brown eyes watching the fire as Paul watched Collin and Brady wrestle next to them. Ignoring the wrestling boys and sitting silently next to her mother was Leah Clearwater. She wasn't the most friendly of the group, but no one could mistake her resemblance to the rest. She was strong and beautiful, with short black hair and deep brown eyes that went well with her practically flawless russet skin. She closed her eyes as she leaned back against a rather large log, her face calm. Next to her was her mother Sue, who smiled gently down at her as she did this.

Next to Sue sat Billy whom laughed quietly at a joke that Old Quil –whom sat on the other side of him - had just told. Next to Old Quil sat Sam, facing the rest of the group like the elder three besides him. He held a calm, but authoritative nature, one that blended well with the elders beside him. And I realized that he was next in line, - for what I'm not sure - making the heads of the circle four. Looking up at him with a smile was Emily, whose hand rested gently on her growing belly. I smiled in return when she looked across Jacob at me, my checks heating up when she winked, her grin widening.

As the circle filled in the talking quieted to a murmur and finally there was a moment of silence where all you could hear was the crackling of the fire and the waves crashing against the cliff face far below us before Billy began. He smiled warmly as he looked around the circle. His eyes lingered on Jacob for a moment, and then moved to me. His smile faded slightly and his eyes softened with the knowledge of something I didn't understand before vaguely nodding and moving on. "Well, we all know why we're here, so, let's get started."

In his majestic voice he told us a story of magic, power, and love. He told us of the Quileute's first spirit warrior chief Kaheleha and of his descendant Taha Aki. We listened to Taha Aki's struggles intently, how Utlapa betrayed him and how Taha Aki became the first spirit wolf to regain his control over his tribe. We learned of his power and his immortality.

It was then that the story turned to Old Quil who told us of Taha Aki's true love – he called it the first imprint. He told us of the 'Cold One's' and the power they held, their beauty, the fear and chaos they caused. The story ended with the sacrifice of the Taha Aki's third wife and how she saved their tribe.

The stories were powerful and held a silence over the group. I stared into the embers of the fire, mystified by what I had just heard. The fire crackled, sending a parade of sparks into the air and seemingly breaking many from the spell. Casual conversations followed, and life resumed as usual once again.

"So what did you think?"

I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, his breath hot on my ear. I looked up at him then, noticing only then that his arm rested around my shoulder where I must have unnoticeably shifted to during the course of the stories. My cheeks flushed and I turned my attention back to the fire, shifting embarrassedly away from his side.

"That was… amazing." I replied, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. If only the stories were true.

"Good." His smile was wide when I looked up at him. His face glowed handsomely in the warm firelight, the shadows cast upon it only enhancing his features. My breath hitched.

"Are you guys ready?"

My eyes darted in the direction of Seth as he sat down on the log behind us, scaring the flush that threatened my cheeks away.

"Ready for what?"

I looked at Jacob then, who turned his gaze to me and grinned mischievously. "You'll see."

Seth laughed. "Don't worry. You're gonna love this."

_Oh boy, what now?_

* * *

I'd almost rather it was raining. Then at least it might not be this cold. And I might not be standing at the top of this cliff looking down at the dark water crashing against the rocks beneath it shivering, teeth chattering and questioning my own sanity as to why I agreed to do this in the first place. Why can't I just go sit by the fire and watch?

"It's really not that bad after your first jump. And besides, this is the easy jump." Embry stated, patting me on the back with a laugh.

"Yeah… right." I nodded, my eyes still watching the water below.

"Relax, Cris. You'll be fine." I looked up as Jacob stopped beside me. My cheeks flushed when I looked up at him. He stood next to me, shirtless, a smile across his lips and eyes glistening mischievously. I turned my gaze away from him quickly and realized that everyone else was dressed similarly, except for me, of course, who was still shivering in my jacket and sneakers.

I sighed and sat on the nearest rock, pulling my shoes and socks off as well as my jacket and t-shirt, happy now that I had decided to wear a tank top underneath it. I stood, shivering as my feet touched the ice-cold rocks beneath my feet, and looked back up at Jacob, having avoided his gaze completely as I took my t-shirt off. I felt my face heat up slightly when I caught his eye, my lips lifting into a small smile.

"What?" I asked.

He smiled in response. "Nothing."

Quil chuckled and elbowed him in the side. Jacob glared, and Quil winked with a grin. He glanced at me and turned towards the edge of the cliff. "Good luck." He said, and with a howl leaped of the edge and plunged into the cold water below. I moved towards the edge quickly to look, he came up with a wild laugh and began to swim towards the shore. I sighed out of relief.

"Ready?"

My eyes moved to Jacob and back down to the water, before nodding slightly. "Relax, Cris. I'm right here." His hand grasped mine and I looked up at him again. I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"It's our turn now, are you ready?" he asked again.

The corners of my lips lifted slightly in response. "Yeah." I sighed.

He took a step back, my hand still in his and grinned. I followed suit, a bit more tentative then Jake. My heart thundered in my ears as I looked back at the edge of the cliff. My eyes shot down to our hands as he wove his fingers between mine and then up to meet his gaze. He smiled that perfect smile and my stomach flipped.

"On three?"

I nodded.

"One, two… three!"

My feet left the rock surface and I let loose a wild scream as we fell, hands still intertwined, into the cold, black water below. The water was like needles and stole what breath I had managed to catch before hitting the water from my lungs. There was a tug at my hand and I followed. When we broke the surface I gulped in a lung full of cold air and looked at Jacob whom was laughing breathlessly. His eyes met mine and I laughed at the wide grin on his face. His smile softened and he motion for me to follow him in. I did, my teeth chattering as I laughed.

* * *

The radio played softly above the sound of the motor as he drove me home. The heat blasting in my face was a relief as I leaned back in the passenger seat. I sighed, comfortable in my nice dry sweat pants and t-shirt.

I was exhausted, despite the fact that I only jumped a couple more times after the first. But it was a good kind of exhaustion, the kind I haven't felt in a long time. I kept playing the night over in my mind, the people, the food, the stories, the water, the feelings. My stomach flipped at the thought.

I kept lingering on the stories, how in depth they were, how serious Billy and Old Quil had been when they told them, as if they were histories instead of tribal myths. But the thought of it was just so unbelievable to me, so confusing.

"Jacob?"

He glanced in my direction in response, before turning his attention back to the road.

"What… what exactly is imprinting?"

His smile faded slightly, his brow furrowing in thought. His eyes softened. "I guess the easiest way to describe it is love at first sight." He replied with a lopsided grin as his eyes met mine.

I raised a questioning eyebrow. He chuckled. "I know it sounds cheesy." He replied, his grin still in place. "But that's what it's like… only more."

"More?" I asked, curious now.

"It's like… when you see her… it's like electricity." His eyes met mine for a moment and my heart skipped a beat. "It's like an electric shock to your heart, like breathing for the first time. It's like all the loose strings in your life have finally tied together and she's the center of it all, she's your entire world. And there's nothing you wouldn't do to keep it that way… because you can't live with out her."

He met my gaze with a small smile, and my heart thundered in my ears. My cheeks flushed slightly and I looked down at my hands.

"But you don't really believe all that do you? All the magic? The imprinting?" I questioned quietly. It couldn't be real; it's too fantastic to be.

"Of course I do." He grinned and my cheeks flushed further.

I didn't know what to say. The idea was beautiful, but there was nothing to it but words. That kind of love didn't exist. It was a fairytale and that's all it would ever be.

"Why?" His voice called me from my thoughts and I met his brown-eyed gaze.

"Why what?"

"Why do you ask?" he questioned, his voice curious now.

"I don't know. I guess it's too perfect to seem real." I replied, looking down at my hands again.

I jumped slightly when his finger hooked under my chin, turning my face to look at him. Blood rushed to my face when I noticed his proximity. His smile made my heart skip. His breath was hot on my lips as his eyes moved slowly over my face. His warm hand moved from my chin, up to my cheek, and back around my ear, brushing black strands of hair out of my face. My breathing quickened as he did, my eyes never leaving his. When he finally met my gaze again, it was like electricity.

**

* * *

**

A/N:

Well I hope you liked this chapter. It was actually one of my favorite to write so far, even if one of the hardest. I wanted to apologize for such the late up date, school was really hectic this past semester. Anyways, please review! It really does help!

PLEASE VOTE!

Half of My Heart

Summary: "I promise…"

Promise- one's pledge to another that one will or will not do something.

"You promised you'd always be there…"

A broken promise is equal to a broken heart if it is broken by someone precious to you.

"But when I needed you the most you were no where to be found…"

How do you trust the one that broke your heart? How do you find the courage to put your heart in their hands? Could you do it? Could you trust them not to crush the fragile pieces again?

"It's all a game of truth or dare now-a-days isn't it?"

Truth: Tell me how you feel…

Dare: _Prove it_…

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Beautiful Monster

Summary: "All I remember is waking up like this… What happened next was a nightmare… and all I knew was that I was afraid. Afraid of the fear, the pain, the blood, afraid of me." My hands shook. I could see them doused in red. Blood. My blood.

"And then I met you."

He smiled as he moved towards me, the smile that chased away my nightmares. His hands were warm, so much warmer then mine.

"And I'm not afraid anymore."

He brushed the hair from my eyes meeting my gaze, my black eyes reflecting in his brown.

"You should be."

What if the only person you found comfort in, the only person that drove away the fear, the only person you dared to love was the very person that you feared the most?

"I don't want to be a monster."

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Thanks everyone! Later! –HM11


	7. Just For Me

A/N:Well I hope you liked the last chapter. Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it took a little bit to get this one up. Enjoy! PLEASE VOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!

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* * *

_

It's something you say to me,

_I don't know what it is yet._

_It's something you do to me,_

_I don't know what it is quite yet._

_It makes me feel invincible,_

_No matter what anyone says,_

_They can't touch me,_

_And I know you're that one for me,_

_When you smile._

-13 by Alex Spore

* * *

Chapter 7: Just for Me

I suppose if I were to walk into someone's house and find them parading around their living room in their pajamas singing "It's Raining Men" at the top of their lungs into an imaginary microphone in their hand that I'd laugh. But I don't believethat laughing until you're falling to your knees clutching your stomach because it hurts due to laughing so hard is exactly necessary. Actually, I don't believe it's necessary at all. Especially when the one being laughed at was me.

"I don't think it was _that_ funny Jacob."

The stereo was still playing behind me, quieter then before and playing a different song, but still there. His chocolate brown eyes, full of laughter, met my hazel. My cheeks flushed, this time -for once- more out of embarrassment then because his eyes were on me. I glared in response.

His laughter faded to a chuckle as he took a deep breath. "Alright, alright, Cris, I'm sorry, that was just… wow." He chucked again, amusement glistening in his eyes.

"Shut up." Was my intelligent reply, as I sat down on our dark brown sofa with a huff, arms crossed over my chest. His laughter faded, but his smile remained. My heart skipped a beat as he met my gaze.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked, attempting to stop the blood from rising to my cheeks. He wouldn't have walked in on me like that if I'd known he was coming over. Especially so early in the morning - alright, so 11 am wasn't early, sue me, I was up until 2 am. The fact of the matter is that I'm here, sitting on my couch in my pajama's rather embarrassed and Jacob is standing in my doorway with a wide, amused grin across his lips, laughing at me as if I was some really cleverly placed pun in a comedy act. And all of this torture could've been avoided if he had just_ called_ to let me know he was coming over.

"Oh, well first off, you forgot this in my car last night."

He tossed the article of clothing hanging from his fingers in my direction. If my face has ever perfectly resembled a tomato, it was now. The article of clothing that I expertly juggled and caught in my lap was the dark purple bra I had worn to the party – for lack of a better word- last night before we went cliff diving. It must have fallen out of my open backpack in my rush out of his car last night.

A sound that I can only describe as a 'eep' escaped my lips – a sound I'd never heard myself make – as I stuffed the bra in between the cushions of the couch, as if that would keep Jacob from seeing it any better. Which was completely ludicrous, considering he was the one who brought it to me, and probably had plenty of time to look at it and laugh all he wanted about it already. That didn't stop him from chuckling at my reaction anyways.

Stupid, _stupid_ Cris. If I hadn't been in such a rush to get out of his car last night - well… rush is a bit of and understatement. After that moment that transpired in the car and that _feeling_ coursed through me like _electricity_ I jumped away from him slightly, as if his skin had been the cause of the shock. And after I moved away I couldn't bring myself to stay in his presence, and make it anymore awkward than I already had. So I mumbled a quick thanks and goodnight, grabbed my bag and practically ran to my house. I turned to wave to him as he beeped and started to pull away from my house and slammed the door shut behind me. The only thing I knew was that my skin was tingling, and it wasn't from the cold.

"I also came over to see if you wanted to go get some breakfast?"

His voice brought me back to the present with a jump. He smiled gently, his eyes curious now as he watched me. His eyes were so dark, so warm and welcoming. And his smile - even the smallest smile – was breath taking. How could one person be so utterly perfect?

My lips lifted into a small smile in response, all previous embarrassment completely forgotten.

"Sure."

* * *

A quick shower and a short car ride later we were pulling up in front of a small restaurant. What wasn't small in this town? The wood of the building was wet with the rain that had started sometime during the night. The rain wove through the grooves of the dark green tin roof, falling in small waterfalls to the ground. Two large windows sat on either side of the wooden door that appeared to be recently painted green. I small sign next to the door read 'Pine Needles' and I assumed that was the name of the restaurant.

I followed Jacob into the small building that screamed 'dinner' in every aspect of the word. He led me to one of the booths at the back of the restaurant that looked out one of the many windows of the building into the sodden trees that surrounded it. Already set on the table between us were some small paper place mats, silverware rolled up in a paper napkin and a couple small menus.

My eyes scanned the breakfast menu in front of me as we settled into the booth, listening to the rain hit the window and the bustle of the restaurant around us. For early afternoon on a Saturday morning it was pretty full.

"So… why didn't you call this morning?"

The question escaped my lips before I could stop it. I flushed slightly when I did, realizing how ridiculous and rather clingy it sounded.

His brown eyes glanced up in my direction. "I did call." He replied.

"You did?" Why hadn't I heard the phone?

There's that smile again, utter amusement.

"You're mom answered. She said it was fine for me to come over and she'd let you know." He continued.

Ah. That explains it. That woman was going to hear it when I saw her next today.

"I take it she didn't tell you?"

"How'd you guess?"

He chuckled. "Well the pajama's were my first clue." He responded, his smile widening to a grin. My cheeks went red.

Damn that woman. If she weren't my mother I would have more than a few strong words for her.

"Good morning."

I jumped slightly and looked up at the girl that stood at the end of our table. I recognized her slightly from one of my classes, but didn't know her name. Her long auburn hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, with a few stray hairs falling in her tea brown eyes. On her eyes was a light shading of sea green eye shadow to match the color of the long sleeve, low cut shirt beneath the dark blue apron she wore over it and a pair of blue jeans. She smiled brightly, her eyes glancing at me and then remaining on Jacob.

My stomach churned slightly out of annoyance, definitely _not_ jealousy.

"My name is Katie, I'll be your server today. Can I get you anything to drink?"

If she batted her eyelashes anymore frivolously I may have had to ask if she had something wrong with her eyes.

"I'll take some milk. How about you Cris?"

My gaze met his brown and the butterflies were back. "Oh um…" I looked up at our classmate for a moment, noticing that her eyes had finally landed on me, however impatiently. "Orange juice please." I finished quickly, watching as she jotted it down quickly before turning her gaze back to the russet skinned boy across from me.

"Alright, I'll be back with those in a few minutes to give you sometime to think over your orders."

Was it just me, or was her voice a little too cheery?

"Sounds good, thanks."

I looked back at Jacob then, only now noticing that his eyes were still on me. My cheeks flushed slightly. He didn't even look up at her when she walked away. Had he been watching me the whole time?

_Damn butterflies._

"So um… what's good here?" I asked, ignoring the way my stomach flipped as I looked back down at the menu on the table.

"Pretty much everything is good so it's really what you're in the mood for." He stated, leaning back in his seat with the menu titled up in his hand so that he could still read it.

I bit my bottom lip in thought and scanned the page before me. Really? Picking something for breakfast should not be this difficult.

"The omelets are my favorite." He looked up at me over his menu with a smile. I couldn't help the smile that split my lips in response.

"Sounds good." I replied, setting my menu down just as a glass full of orange juice was set down in front of me. I looked up, surprised.

Katie stood at the end of the table, smiling widely at Jacob as she set his glass of milk down in front of him a little more gently than she had mine. I bit my lip to keep myself from saying anything as she leaned over the table a little more than necessary to do so.

Nope, still _not_ jealous, it was just a bit ridiculous was all.

"So what can I get for you?" She chirped, her question aimed more at Jacob than me.

"Cris?" I looked at Jacob then, noticing the nod in my direction. I smiled slightly in response before looking up at Jen who had almost reluctantly turned to me.

"Can I get a cheese omelet and some home-fries please?"

"Sure thing. How about you, Jacob?" She had turned from me so quickly that I barely noticed it.

_Bite your tongue, Cris._

"Uh, a cheese, sausage, and green pepper omelet with a double order of home-fries and bacon on the side." I raised a questioning eyebrow at the smile he cast my way. He didn't respond.

"Is that all?" Katie's question brought my attention back to her, not that she was really asking me the question.

"Yep." My response came quicker and sharper than I really meant it too, but it gained her attention. I forced a smile to my lips when she met my gaze. "Thank you." I added as an after thought, not that it really mattered.

Was it just me or was that almost a glare?

"Alright, well I'll have this right out for you." Her response was directed at Jacob and was much more friendly than it most likely would've been for me. With that she gathered our menu's, turned on her heals, and made her way to the kitchen.

"Sorry if you weren't done ordering. I just assumed…" I stated, meeting Jacob's gaze.

"Nah, it's good. I already had a big breakfast at home earlier so I probably can't eat much more than what I ordered anyways." He stated with a grin.

"You already ate and you ordered that much food?" I replied. My tone was rather disbelieving because knowing him, when he said big breakfast, he meant something like half the refrigerator.

"What can I say? A growing boy needs a good breakfast." He winked, his smile wide.

"I think you could sit a few out and you'd be just fine."

He laughed. My heart skipped a beat at the sound.

So maybe I was a bit jealous before… but who wouldn't want to be able to say a smile like that was 'just for me'?

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Jacob turned to look at me as I moved into my room, a couple of glasses of soda in my hands. He smiled slightly and took the cup of orange soda I offered him, nodding over his shoulder at the desk my computer sat on. "I was looking at your knickknack collection." He replied, turning back around to look at it.

"I take it you like wolves." His voice held a hint of amusement and something else I couldn't quite place.

"How'd you guess?" I asked, stopping next to him to look at my shelf full of tiny porcelain wolves and other little trinkets.

He glanced in my direction, a smile that spoke of nothing but amusement on his lips. I chuckled in response.

"Where did you get them all?" he asked, his eyes moving over them once again.

"All over the place. Most of them were little things I found at yard sales and little gift shops around some of the places I've lived. Some of them were gifts, like my stuffed animal." I smiled as I thought of the birthday I had received that as a gift. I had just turned seven, and it was exactly what I asked for. It was my mom's way of softening the 'we have to move again' blow that came later that night. Oddly, it worked reasonably well.

"My mom got it for me for my seventh birthday." I continued, taking a sip of the soda in my hand.

When I wasn't paying attention he had pulled one of the small knickknacks off of the shelf and now rotated it in his fingers. "Where'd you get this one?" he asked, holding it out to me in the palm of his hand. It was a small white wolf with a black ring around its right eye. Its eyes were a stunning ice blue and it sat in a position as if it were howling at the moon.

My heart stuttered slightly. Of course he'd pick up _that_ one.

"My… father gave that to me for my second birthday… right before he disappeared." I replied, my voice quiet as I took it in my hand. Besides my mink blanket with a wolf pack pictured on it, which I still slept with, it was the only gift I had from him. The only thing I had left.

"I'm sorry." His voice was soft, comforting.

"Don't be." My response was so quiet that I wondered if he had heard it.

Slowly, he took the small wolf and my glass from my hands and put them back on the shelf where they belonged before turning back to me, taking my hands in his. I looked up as he did, my cheeks flushing slightly at his proximity. He smiled gently, his fingers moving to brush the bangs from my eyes.

"I think he would be proud of you."

My heart skipped a beat at his words and before I realized what I was doing I found myself in his arms, my own wrapped around him and my face in his chest. After a moment, his arms wrapped almost delicately around me in response. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was home.

"For what it's worth… I think your mother would be proud of you too."

He laughed, a loud barking laugh that vibrated through his chest and seemed to continue on through me. It was warm and as comforting as he was. It didn't take long for me to join him with my own laughter.

* * *

"So what's your favorite color?"

I looked up at him from my position on the couch next to him. I laughed. "What is this? Twenty questions?" I replied, having answered several of his questions already and asked him a few of my own.

He shrugged, "It could be." His smile was a 'yes'.

I rolled my eyes and turned my gaze back to the television show we were watching. Not that I really knew what was going on as we'd been talking since we turned it on.

"I have a few favorite colors, blue, green, and purple. I guess I like deep browns and reds too." I stated with a small smile.

"What about you?"

"Greens and blues mostly, but red's cool too." He responded, having had the answer at the ready. I chuckled.

"My turn then." I stated, turning to look at him, my interest in whatever was on the television already lost. "How about…. your favorite food?"

For once he didn't meet my gaze, he sat starring at the curtained window beside the television. I looked curiously, seeing nothing, before I turned my gaze back to him.

"What's wrong Jake?"

He smiled, his brown eyes meeting my hazel. "Nothing's wrong. I just remembered that I had something to help my dad with today, so I'm going to have to ask you to hold that question." His reply was quick and not long after he was on his feet and moving towards the kitchen.

"Oh… okay, sure." I stood to follow him but he was back in the doorway before I could get into the room.

His smile was wide when I looked up at him, almost reassuring. His fingers moved to brush my bangs from my eyes as I met his gaze, not unlike they had just an hour or so before.

_Why?_

"I'll be back later. Promise."

My breath hitched at the feeling of his lips on my cheek. My eyes fluttered close at the feeling. When I looked up again he was gone.

_Did he just…?_

I stumbled to the door to look out the small window in it, my fingers at my cheek where his lips had been just seconds before. My skin tingled where they had touched. My heart thundered in my ears.

Faintly, I wondered where he was off to in such a rush without his car.

* * *

I looked up from the book in my hands as Jen walked in the front door. I smiled when she caught sight of me. With a sigh she moved into the room, tossing her coat and her purse on the seat in the corner of the room.

"Is Jacob here?" she asked as she plopped down on the couch next to me.

"Nope."

"Isn't that his car out front?"

"Yep."

It was quiet for a moment.

"What happened?"

I looked up at her again, a small smile on my lips. "Actually I'm not really sure. One minute we were sitting here asking each other random questions, then he was saying something about forgetting that he had something to do, and then he was gone." I replied laughing now at the thought of it.

"Without his car?"

"Yep."

She was quiet again before she began to chuckle. I tilted my head curiously when she did. "Well then he'll be back. Keep his keys somewhere you'll be able to find them." She stated, meeting my gaze.

Her voice was amused, and yet, it held something that I couldn't quite guess. It was almost as if she knew something that I didn't yet. Maybe it was some weird motherly thing, she's always going on about those.

"Will do." I replied, turning back to my _Mercy Thompson_ book. She turned the television on as I did, flipping through the channels until she found something she liked and sat back in her seat.

"Cris…"

"Hmm?"

"What's this?"

I looked up to see what she was questioning, only for my face to turn several shades of red in an instant. Dangling from her fingers in a very familiar fashion was my dark purple bra.

"Or maybe the better question would be, what is it doing here?"

She smirked when I gulped and began to stumble over the events that had occurred this morning in a very jumbled fashion. She laughed when I was finished, long and hard.

I glared, ripping the damned piece of clothing from her hand. I'd have to burn the bra now, for all the trouble it's caused me. When she finally stopped laughing she turned back to her television show as I had already buried my nose back in my book to hide the blush that still stained my cheeks.

A few moments of glorious silence followed, and I sighed, relaxing slightly.

"So you were just talking, huh?"

"Mom!"

Someone should set up some kind of internal welcome sign for all the blood that rushes to my face on a daily basis.

_

* * *

_

The icy rain was as persistent as the branches that bit and tore at my clothes, my skin, and my face. It was just vicious, just as grueling. It soaked through my clothes, caking the freezing fabric to my skin, pasting any stray hair to my face. The cold cut every breath short and pulled at my skin as insistently as the branches that reached out to me as my feet carried me faster through the trees.

_Suddenly it ended. The trees and the rain came to a screeching halt and I stumbled forward, my toes digging into the sand that now resided beneath my feet. My breath condensed in the air before me as it came in short, pained pants. _

_In front of me was a small stretch of beach on which the sun was setting. The sound of the icy waves washing up on the sandy shore and the smell of salt water filled my senses. But, what captured my attention was the man that was standing on the beach in front of me, his warm, brown eyes watching me with a smile. _

"_Jacob?"_

_His smile softened and I moved forward, my body relaxing slightly at the sight of him. I was startled when I found that I could only move so far before I hit what felt like a glass wall between him and I. Slowly I put my hand up to what I had just run into, the surface was cold, solid like ice. I looked back up at Jacob when his hand fell on the wall opposite of mine. _

_His eyes were still warm, but his smile was gone._

_Movement behind him caught my eye and I moved slightly so that I could look around him. Behind him stood the russet colored wolf I'd seen before, his eyes set on Jacob as if he were its prey. _

"_Jacob!" _

_My eyes met his brown again, but he looked as if he had not heard what I'd said. I tried again. When he didn't respond I yelled, my fists pounding against the glass. They made no sound._

_I watched as the wolf moved out of the trees towards him. My heart thundered in my ears and my breathing became panicked. What could I do? I couldn't just stand here and watch him get hurt._

"_**Jacob!**__"_

_The sound of my fists against the glass thundered in my ears, pounding against the back of my skull as I met his brown-eyed gaze. _

* * *

I shot up from my sleeping position, my head pounding as if I had been banging my head against the glass. I rubbed my eyes to try to ease the feeling and ran a hand through my hair. I jumped at the sound of something tapping on glass and immediately turned my gaze to my window. A frightened gasp escaped my lips at the sight of the dark figure in my window. After looking closer, I realized that I recognized the face behind the glass.

Sitting on a branch of the large tree on the other side of my window was Jacob Black.

I threw my blankets back quickly and practically jumped out of bed to rush to the window. With a creak I pushed it open, shivering slightly at the cold breeze that wafted into my room as I did.

"Are you crazy?" I demanded form the boy crawling into my window in a harsh whisper.

He smiled as he stood up, closing the window behind him. I hadn't realized before that he was in nothing but a pair of sweat pants, which hung low about his waste. His sweat pants were splattered with mud and water and his feet were bare. His short black hair was drenched with the rain that trickled down his neck and almost seductively down his sculpted chest.

"Nah. All the lights were off so I figured this was the only way to get to you."

His voice brought my eyes back up to his from following the progress of one of the said droplets of water. How was he not freezing?

"Get to me for what?" I replied, brushing some of my hair from my face.

He chuckled and wiped some of the water from his face. "Well… I kind of left my keys."

My eyes widened in response and I moved across my room to my desk where I had put his keys after coming up stairs for bed. I grabbed them and turned to walk back in his direction only to find him standing in front of me. I didn't even hear him move. I jumped slightly, and looked up to meet his amused gaze.

_How does he do that?_

"Here you go." I stated, holding his keys out to him.

He grinned and took them. "Thanks."

"Mhmm."

He slipped the keys into the pockets of his sweat pants, patting them reassuringly when he did.

"So where did you run off to earlier?" I asked, my voice still a whisper.

His eyes met mine again. "I remembered that I had something to take care of." He replied, his smile still present, but softer.

I laughed quietly. "So you're not going to tell me?" It was more of a teasing question than anything. At least, that's what I meant for it to be.

He sighed, his smile fading. His eyes ran over me slowly, almost as if he were looking for something. After a few moments of silence his hand slowly rose to brush my bangs from my eyes and ran back gently into my hair. His shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath, his eyes closing before opening again to meet mine.

"Not yet," he replied, "but soon." His smile was back, his eyes looking down on me as if he were trying to reassure me of something.

My breath hitched as he leaned forward, pausing to rest his forehead against mine. My heart fluttered at the feeling of his skin on mine, so warm, so soothing. My hazel met his brown and for a moment I wondered what it would feel like to close the distance between us, to feel his lips on mine. He smiled, his eyes glistening as if he knew what I was thinking.

"My favorite food…" I blinked as he moved back slightly, his voice catching me off guard. He chuckled halfheartedly. "Was my mom's French toast and this maple bacon that she got from Canada every now and again. She always made it on special occasions like my birthday." His voice was quiet, reminiscent.

I smiled gently and took the hand that remained on my cheek in my own. His eyes glanced at our hands before moving back up to meet my gaze. "My favorite food is banana cream pie." I stated as my thumb rubbed circles into the back on his hand.

He laughed, a bright, barking laugh that caused my lips to split into a grin. The smile he gave me in return made my heart skip a beat. Something at the back of my mind told me that this one was just for me.

**

* * *

**

A/N:

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review? **Can I get at least five reviews before I update next?** I only ask because I need your opinions on the vote below. (Plus nice reviews about the chapter are always spirit boosters, haha.) PS: I'll be starting school again in a few days so the updates will be slow in coming, sorry everyone.

PLEASE VOTE!

Half of My Heart

Summary: "I promise…"

Promise- one's pledge to another that one will or will not do something.

"You promised you'd always be there…"

A broken promise is equal to a broken heart if it is broken by someone precious to you.

"But when I needed you the most you were no where to be found…"

How do you trust the one that broke your heart? How do you find the courage to put your heart in their hands? Could you do it? Could you trust them not to crush the fragile pieces again?

"It's all a game of truth or dare now-a-days isn't it?"

Truth: Tell me how you feel…

Dare: _Prove it_…

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Beautiful Monster

Summary: "All I remember is waking up like this… What happened next was a nightmare… and all I knew was that I was afraid. Afraid of the fear, the pain, the blood, afraid of me." My hands shook. I could see them doused in red. Blood. My blood.

"And then I met you."

He smiled as he moved towards me, the smile that chased away my nightmares. His hands were warm, so much warmer then mine.

"And I'm not afraid anymore."

He brushed the hair from my eyes meeting my gaze, my black eyes reflecting in his brown.

"You should be."

What if the only person you found comfort in, the only person that drove away the fear, the only person you dared to love was the very person that you feared the most?

"I don't want to be a monster."

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Mist of Memories

Summary: "I'm dying Edward." She looked up at him with dark eyes, a small smile on her lips.

His amber eyes widened slightly. How could she smile after such a statement? How could she seem so calm? How could her eyes shine with such life, knowing that not long from now, nothing would exist within them?

"No… you can't be. There must be some way… to fix this."

Her smile remained as she took his hand, her warm fingers gently brushed over the lines in his icy palm. She met his gaze then.

"You may be a vampire Edward… but you're no God."

What if you had the power to save the one you loved from the brink of death? What if they refused that power… your help? Could you let them go?

"Would you… be comfortable playing a love song?"

He raised a questioning eyebrow. "That depends on who I'd be playing it for…"

"Would you play one for me?"

What if there had been another girl before Bella? What if she was the reason he refused to change her for so long?

Pairing: Edward/Oc, others mentioned.


	8. Take Me Home

**A/N:** Well, sorry it took so long, but I'm out of school for a few months now and hopefully I can get a few chapters up before then. Enjoy!

* * *

_And she would change everything, everything just ask her.  
Caught in the in-between, a beautiful disaster,  
And she would change everything for happy ever after.  
Caught in the in-between, a beautiful disaster,  
But she just needs someone to take her home  
And she just needs someone to take her home._

_- _Beautiful Disaster by Jon Mclaughlin

* * *

Chapter 8: Take Me Home

Most of the day had passed with a blanket of thick, dark clouds looming above La Push, threatening to burst and release its contents at any moment. So, of course they would choose to rip open with a boom of thunder a few minutes after I had started walking home. And, of course, it doesn't just rain, it pours. Lucky me, I still have a twenty minute walk home in this with no umbrella.

Why, you ask? Well, because Jacob left school early today and I happen to depend upon him for a ride home every day, silly me. Don't get me wrong, I tried to find another ride home, I mean I'm not that dependent on him, but apparently the world had other plans for me today. Literally everyone that could have given me a ride home had disappeared with Jacob a little after lunchtime today. Melissa gets a ride home from her Mom everyday, but I refused to impose on them, as they live on the other side of town from me. Emily had another doctor's appointment, so she was out. And Jen doesn't get home from work until 7 PM and happens to work about an hour away, so calling Mom was out too.

That left only one option, I was walking home.

And now here I am, hair plastered to my skin and clothes soaked through so that they cling to me like a less pleasant, second skin. With a sigh I shrugged my backpack further onto my shoulder and prepared to run.

_I need a car. _

Unfortunately, I have no money to get one at the moment. I picked up my pace as thunder cracked open the sky above me and the rain continued to fall. A huge puddle that I didn't see coming and a pair of soaked shoes later I was cursing under my breath and thoroughly soaked

That settles it. I need to get a job.

* * *

With a sigh I draped a towel over my shoulders and under my damp hair, having just finished dressing in a t-shirt and sweat pants after a hot shower. My toes curled in the soft carpet of the hallway as I made my way towards the kitchen. It was nice to be warm and dry again.

I stopped in the living room to turn the television on and to make sure that my books, which were spread out across the floor beneath a fan, were beginning to dry. I'd have to flip them over soon, but it was working – slowly, but surely. Satisfied and happy to have the television as background noise – sometimes the house was just _too_ quiet – I made my way to the refrigerator in the kitchen. There wasn't much left meaning that Jen had yet to take her weekly shopping trip. I grabbed a bottle of water and set it on the table as I moved to the cupboards. Luckily there was one last banana and some peanut butter left. I grabbed a spoon sat down at the table, across from the chair where my soaked backpack hung dripping on the floor.

My spoon clattered to the floor after a loud knock at the door made me jump and drop it. With a sigh I leaned over to pick it up and stood to put it in the sink. I glanced out the small window above the sink, noting that the rain was still coming down in waves. I turned my gaze to the front door at the next set of loud knocks.

_Who on Earth…_

"I'm coming!" I called back as I wove around my chair and the kitchen table.

I pulled the door open to a soaking wet Jacob Black, clad in only a pair of drenched sweat pants. He smiled when I met his gaze, a flash of emotion passing through his deep brown orbs.

It was almost as if he were relieved to see me standing there. Who else was he expecting to see? This is my house after all…

"Jacob?" I questioned curiously.

"Hey Cris." He breathed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came over to make sure you made it home alright." He replied, a warm smile still in place, but his tone a bit more serious.

My cheeks heated up slightly. He came over in this to make sure I was alright?

"Oh… yeah I'm fine. Just ended up getting a little wet is all." I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Wet?"

"Yeah, I walked home."

He frowned, his eyes moving over me almost worriedly.

I laughed again. "I'm fine Jake. It was just a little rain." I stated.

He met my gaze once again, his lips curling up slightly when I laughed. I flushed.

"Why don't you come in? You can hang out until this is over, it's still pretty terrible out there." I suggested.

He grinned but shook his head. "I'd love to, but I gotta get going. I just wanted to stop over and make sure you made it home okay. I felt bad about ditching you at school." He said, his smile fading slightly.

"Don't worry about it. I can fend for myself." I replied with a smile of my own.

He didn't respond as I met his gaze again. The look in his eyes made my breath catch in my chest. His brown orbs were a swirl of emotions that I couldn't quite place. Relief? Worry? Something else entirely?

"Are you sure you don't want to come in? It doesn't look like the rain is going to give up any time soon and – " My sentence cut off with a squeak as I stepped back to allow him more room to enter and slipped in the puddle of water that my drying coat had created by the door. For a moment I was falling backwards and then a second later I was pulled forward into a hard chest and his warm arms.

I tipped my head back to look up at him, my hands resting on his bare chest, as his arms were still set securely around me. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks when I did and could only imagine how red they were. He was so close, so unbearably close. My heart skipped a beat when his lips split into that perfect smile.

"I-I uh…" I tried to form some kind of apology, some kind of excuse, _something_, but the words didn't come.

He chuckled quietly as I began to fumble with my words. "It's cute when you stumble over yourself for me." He whispered, his smile never fading.

My heart drummed in my ears as his words sank in. _Did he just call me cute?_

He pulled me up slightly so that I was standing on my own two feet and in doing so he also pulled me closer.

His fingers ghosted over my forehead, brushing my bangs out of my eyes before he met my gaze. My breath shook slightly.

"I should get going…" he mumbled as his finger tips traced the back of my ear and then down along my jaw line. I could only nod my head slightly in response.

"I'll come see you later?" he questioned quietly. I nodded again, doing my best to force a smile across my stunned lips.

His smile stole my breath again. His lips pressed gently against my cheek and then he was moving away from me and back out into the rain. I watched him go, still stunned to silence, my heart still thundering in my ears as he walked away.

After the first peck on my cheek a couple weeks ago Jacob had begun to make a habit out of giving me small kisses before he ran off somewhere. It was always on my cheek, my forehead, on the back of my hand or my palm. Regardless of where it was, the kisses never failed to steal my breath away and leave me speechless.

He had been disappearing at random points of the day claiming he had somewhere to be or something to do quite often lately. It was always off to someplace that he never mentioned and always without his car.

I wondered where he was off to this time. I wondered when he would tell me where it was he was always running off to and why. I sighed and shut the door long after his form had disappeared in the rain. Hopefully, Jen was right and he would come around soon. It's beginning to get difficult to watch him run off like that without knowing where he's going and when he's coming back. It's beginning to get hard to keep myself from following him.

* * *

I turned over in bed with a huff of annoyance, looking over the contents of my room lit only by the light of the moon that managed to seep in through my window. The bright red numbers of my alarm clock read 1:21 AM. I had been in bed for about an hour now with no luck of falling into the peaceful abyss of sleep. Luckily tomorrow is Saturday, but that thought did little to diminish my annoyance at my apparent insomnia.

In one swift movement I tossed my blankets off of my legs and spun my body so that my feet landed on the floor. Ignoring the shivers that rolled up my spine due to the cold wood floor I made my way across my room and plopped down in my desk chair. My lamp turned on with a click and I blinked a couple of times until I could see again.

I pulled my Dream Diary out of one of my desk drawers and flipped it open. Luckily I had left it home today and it had been spared from the pool my backpack had become this afternoon on my walk home. Might as well get some work done if I can't sleep.

I skimmed through some of my previous entries, touching up some color here and there, reading some of the quotes and lyrics I had incorporated into it. This would be my last entry as the entire dream diary would be due on Monday. I knew what my last entry would be; it was just a matter of sitting down and starting it.

* * *

_Patchy shadows covered the cliff side and the water beneath as the clouds filtered across the sky. The moon was full tonight, reflecting brightly off the calm ocean when it had its chances to peak through the clouds. The only sound that reached my ears was the waves crashing against the rocks below. _

_I hardly dared to breathe after stumbling on the site before me. I just couldn't decide if it was out of fear or awe. Sitting at the edge of the cliff looking over the water was the large russet wolf I'd seen many times before. When the moonlight fell upon him his presence was ethereal, breathtaking. When clouds cast him in shadow he influenced a fear so deep that it paralyzed you. _

_When he turned to look at me my breath hitched in my chest. Fierce eyes met my hazel and any breath that I had in me was lost at that moment. His eyes were a clam, deep brown that made my heart race. His gaze was familiar, warm, safe, but the beast that owned them was nothing of the sort. _

_I watched carefully as he took a step forward. I was unable to move and hardly breathing. Had I any other choice I would've ran as soon as I came upon him, but his eyes held me here. _

_He stopped about an arms length away form me. I shuddered when his hot breath fell on my face. He was magnificent, beautiful. _

_My hand moved as if it had a mind of its own, reaching out towards the wolf slowly. When I hesitated he inched forwards just close enough for my fingers to brush his fur. My breath hitched and he stopped, almost as if he were waiting. I moved carefully then, pressing first my fingers against his fur and then my palm. His presence was soothing. I smiled as I ran my fingers through russet fur._

_When those brown orbs met my gaze again it felt like electricity. _

* * *

I looked up from my drawing at the sound of a light tap on my window. With a sigh I stood and stretched, glancing down at my drawing that was almost complete as I did before making my way over to my window. The tap was familiar but I jumped despite the fact when I pulled my curtains back to find Jacob sitting beyond the glass. He chuckled as I pulled the window open.

"Sometimes I think you do this just because you enjoy scaring me." I stated as he crawled into my room.

"Nah, that's only half the reason." Jacob replied, winking as he turned to close the window behind him.

I rolled my eyes. "Nice of you." I said.

Jake laughed, flashing a smile that made my heart skip. "So what are you up to?" he asked, taking a seat at the end of my bed.

"Working on some homework."

"At three in the morning?"

I shrugged and took a seat next to him. Jacob had come to my window at least every other night for the past week or so. Each time we'd sit up and talk for a while until Jacob convinced me to get some sleep and left. Sometimes the visit lasted minutes, others lasted hours. I wondered how Jen would react if she found out about his visits… maybe it was best not to find out.

"Can't sleep?" he asked. His voice held a note of concern.

"Not really, but I'm alright. I don't mind a late night from time to time." I replied, smiling to emphasize my point.

"You've had a lot of those lately."

"Don't worry about me Jacob, I'll be alright."

He didn't seem convinced, but he nodded in response anyways.

"So what's up?" I asked as he stood to take a walk around my room.

He'd done this the past few time he had visited as well and it wasn't as unsettling as I thought it would be with anyone else. Of course, Jacob isn't anyone else. It seems almost natural for him to be here with me, for him to stroll around my room as if it were his. The only thing that surprised me was that he sometimes had an air about him that seemed as if he were looking for something. I wondered what it was, but never bothered to ask.

"Nothing really." He shrugged, meeting my gaze. "I just wanted to see you."

My heart skipped a beat. "O-oh." I stuttered in return as my cheeks flushed.

He grinned before turning to continue his lap around my room. I watched him quietly as he moved gracefully across the floor, pausing here and there to look at something.

Why did simple statements like that catch me so off guard? Did he say things like that just to see that reaction? Or did he… really mean them? What if he did?

"Cris?"

I looked up at him from across the room, wondering when he had gotten that far without me noticing. He had paused in front of my desk with a small sketchbook of mine in his hands. His eyes were wide as he flipped through the pages slowly. It took me a moment before I realized what he was actually holding.

"What is this?" he asked quietly, an almost stunned note to his voice.

"I-I…" My feet were on the floor and moving across the room before I even thought about it. "That's my um… my dream diary… for my art class." I replied as I paused beside him. He was starting at one of the first drawings I had done of the russet wolf.

"We have to draw or paint scenes from our dreams for a month and add a quote or a few lines of lyrics to them." I added when he didn't respond for some time.

"Do you dream about this wolf… often?" he asked flipping back to my final entry. When I didn't respond he met my gaze.

I felt my cheeks heat up again as I looked down at my hands. "Yes… recently." I replied. He was quiet for a moment before placing the book in my hands. I looked up at him then and the smile that he gave me stole my breath away.

"These are beautiful." He said quietly.

A small smile split my lips in response. "T-thank you." I put my book back on the desk where it had been a few minutes ago and turned back to him. I tried to ignore the fact that my hands were shaking.

Didn't he think it was weird that I was dreaming about large wolves all of the time?

"Actually, I did want to ask you something."

"Hmm?" Was my intelligent answer as his question snapped me out of my thoughts.

Jacob chuckled quietly. "You asked me why I stopped over? I wanted to ask you something." He repeated, smiling.

"Oh…" I blushed slightly, "uh, ok?" I asked.

"Are you going to prom?"

Prom? How did we go from giant wolves and my dream diary to prom?

Wait… prom is coming up? Since when?

"Prom?" My voice was laced with confusion.

The corners of his lips lifted into a small smile as he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I don't know." I replied, looking down at my hands.

"Why not?" his voice was soft, but curious.

"I've never really been to any big dances." I replied. "I've never stuck around any one place long enough to want to."

I glanced up at one of the pictures on my desk. The last time I lived anywhere long enough to want to go to one of these dances was when I met Sam Bones. That was years ago now.

"This is your Senior Prom, everyone says you have to go to that."

I shrugged. "I don't know if I have any reason to go."

"You could go with me?"

"I –…" I met his gaze. "What?"

"You could go to the prom with me?" His eyes twinkled as he said it this time. I wondered how many times he was going to make me blush tonight.

"I-I…"

"Unless you want to make me go with someone like that Katie chick at the dinner?" Jacob chuckled, my heart thundered in my ears.

"I don't know, Jake…"

"Cris."

I stopped as he took my hands in his. His smile was smaller now, but calm, sincere. It was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"Go to the prom with me?"

His eyes were warm, captivating. My breath shook. "Jacob I… I'd like that."

* * *

"What are you up to Cris?"

I glanced up at my mother as she walked into the kitchen before looking back down and my sneaker to finish my knot. I moved my foot from it's perch on one of our kitchen chairs to the floor and turned to look at Jen as she pulled the refrigerator door open.

"Going for a run." I replied as I snuck around her to grab my water bottle out of the sink.

"Well it's a nice day for it." She stated with a smile.

"That what I figured."

"And if it rains?"

"I'll take my chances."

Jen laughed and took a drink out of the glass of orange juice she had just poured. "Try to be back before dark kiddo." She said.

I grimaced at the nickname but nodded anyways. "I'll try." I replied as I pushed my headphones into my ears and moved towards the door. She chuckled and shook her head as I smiled and shut the door behind me.

It was a little chilly outside, but the goose bumps on my arms and legs would fade once I got a good start. It felt nice to get out of the house and to have my body moving in such a familiar fashion. I'd been inside since I woke up this morning, and sat around doing little to nothing ever since. That was mostly due to the fact that my thoughts seemed to always stray back to last night and Jacob. I couldn't focus on anything long enough to actually get anything accomplished.

I don't remember when he left last night. We talked for a couple of hours after he asked me to the prom. At some point we made it back to my bed and he convinced me to lie down. I remember him sitting on the edge of my bed next to me for a while, sometimes chatting about nothing in particular, other times sitting in comfortable silence.

Not long after four in the morning I began to doze off. I remember the feeling of his fingers running gently through my hair. The springs of my bed bending as he laid down next to me, not quite close enough to touch, but close enough to feel the heat radiating off of his skin. I wondered what it would be like to lay my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. I remember him whispering something to me that I didn't quite catch, his lips pressing gently against my temple, and then a quiet goodnight before I slipped into a dreamless sleep. He wasn't there when I woke up this morning, not that I expected him to be.

I took a turn onto a well-used path into the woods down the street from my house. I had taken this route once already while I was here. It was a simple path, but beautiful. One of these days I'd have to take a walk down it so that I could take in the true beauty of it.

* * *

I grunted out of frustration as I stumbled over another root sticking out of the dirt. I wish I had taken into account how quickly it gets dark around here before taking this little detour. I'd be fine if all these trees didn't look the same in the dark.

Really… how on earth do I get myself into these things?

Mom is going to kill me when I get home.

_If I get home…_

A small squeak escaped my lips as my foot caught on an inconveniently positioned stump and I lost my balance. A scrapped knee and a few choice words later I pushed myself up so that my back was leaning against a tree. It was too dark to tell if I was bleeding or not, but the way my knee burned confirmed what I could not see.

"Great." I mumbled, carefully brushing what dirt I could out of the cut. "Just what I needed."

With a sigh I let my head tip back to look up at the canopy of tree branches above me. The stars shone brightly against the dark navy sky through leaves that were just beginning to form. A few wisps of clouds moved across the sky, darkening patches of stars here and there.

Well… at least it wasn't going to rain.

I turned my gaze back to the trail in front of me and my breath caught in my chest. Red orbs stared unblinkingly back at me. My heart began to race, thundering in my ears.

I had never seen eyes like this before, scarlet and glowing faintly in the dark. I had to be dreaming. The only light from the moon that filtered through the trees was at the man's back, shadowing his features. Something about the way he tilted his head – almost curiously – told me that it wasn't.

I pressed my back against the tree as he stood, his crimson gaze never lifting form mine. My mind screamed at me to run, to scream, to do something. My body wouldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

A stick broke beside me and I tore my gaze away from the scarlet-eyed man in front of me. My eyes widened at the sight I saw. Crouching as if it were ready to pounce, hair on end, and teeth bared was the largest wolf I had ever seen. The growl that seeped from the back of its throat made the hair at the back of my neck stand on end.

Its eyes met mine for a moment and my heart skipped a beat. A set of warm, brown orbs stared back at me. And for a moment everything else was forgotten, I was safe.

Another growl rumbled from the other side of me and my eyes turned from the russet wolf to another with sandy colored fur.

I watched as its mouth lifted into a snarl and followed its gaze. The man with red eyes stood a few feet away from me now, his eyes no longer on me, but looking between the two wolves. He took another slow step back before turning his eyes to mine once more and then vanishing from sight. The sand colored wolf took of with a wild snarl after him, and was gone before I could blink.

A breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding fell shakily from my lips as my body relaxed. He was gone. The eyes were gone.

I jumped at the sound of the snort next to me and turned quickly in that direction. The russet wolf remained where he had been before, starting intently at me. If I hadn't know better, I would've thought there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. I watched as he slowly walked around the tree my back was pressed against and a few steps down the path I had just been running on. Brown eyes met my hazel for a moment before it turned to weave slowly through the trees.

How could such a large and terrifying creature be so beautiful and graceful at the same time?

I watched him until he was just barely out of sight and then quickly pushed myself to my feet. Something told me that this beast wouldn't –couldn't– hurt me. As I watched him go there was something pulling me towards him, bidding me to follow. And so with a deep breath I pushed myself after him.

* * *

I followed the russet wolf for quite a while. He wove through the trees slowly, but always far enough in front of me that he was just barely visible in the darkness of the woods. He paused when I would stumble, moved faster when I would get too close, but never so fast that I couldn't keep up.

It was only when he moved through a patch of think underbrush that I lost sight of him. My heart began to race when I couldn't make my way through the brush fast enough to keep up with him. I had no idea where I was; I had put my faith into this beast to lead me to something I would recognize. If I lost him I was done for.

"Wait!" My voice was quiet, but the plea seemed loud in this lonely forest.

I stumbled out of the bushes and into a small clearing looking out over the ocean from the vantage point of a small cliff. My eyes found the dark figure sitting at the edge of the cliff quickly, my nerves still on end from the last time I had met someone in the woods.

"Cris?"

My heart stuttered, almost as if his voice were a set of jumper cables bringing me back to life.

"J-Jacob?"

He stood, turning to face me completely. He wore only a pair of gym shorts, his skin glistening slightly in the moonlight as if it was wet. My breath shook. Even with his face shadowed I knew it was him. The feeling of his eyes on me was unmistakable.

"What are you doing out here Cris?"

"I-I… I was… Jacob…"

His name escaped my lips in a half sob as my feet carried me quickly towards him. Before I knew it I was throwing myself against him, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my face against his chest. His arms wrapped around me slowly, enveloping me in the warmth of his body and his comforting scent.

"Cris…"

His voice was soft and caring as he pressed his face into my hair. I couldn't stop the tears that fell from my eyes when he did. Everything was going to be okay now. I wasn't alone anymore. I was safe. I was home.

_Home._

"Take me home, Jake?"

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**A/N: **I am soooo sorry it took so long to get this up. The end of this was just so hard to write. And I'm still not even sure if I like it or not. Let me know what you think? Regaurdless, I think you're going to love the next chapter… I hope. Haha, well that one should be up much sooner then this one was. Thanks for all of your support! It keeps me going!

**PLEASE VOTE! **

Half of My Heart

Summary: "I promise…"

Promise- one's pledge to another that one will or will not do something.

"You promised you'd always be there…"

A broken promise is equal to a broken heart if it is broken by someone precious to you.

"But when I needed you the most you were no where to be found…"

How do you trust the one that broke your heart? How do you find the courage to put your heart in their hands? Could you do it? Could you trust them not to crush the fragile pieces again?

"It's all a game of truth or dare now-a-days isn't it?"

Truth: Tell me how you feel…

Dare: _Prove it_…

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Beautiful Monster

Summary: "All I remember is waking up like this… What happened next was a nightmare… and all I knew was that I was afraid. Afraid of the fear, the pain, the blood, afraid of me." My hands shook. I could see them doused in red. Blood. My blood.

"And then I met you."

He smiled as he moved towards me, the smile that chased away my nightmares. His hands were warm, so much warmer then mine.

"And I'm not afraid anymore."

He brushed the hair from my eyes meeting my gaze, my black eyes reflecting in his brown.

"You should be."

What if the only person you found comfort in, the only person that drove away the fear, the only person you dared to love was the very person that you feared the most?

"I don't want to be a monster."

Pairing: Jacob/Oc, mention of others

Mist of Memories

Summary: "I'm dying Edward." She looked up at him with dark eyes, a small smile on her lips.

His amber eyes widened slightly. How could she smile after such a statement? How could she seem so calm? How could her eyes shine with such life, knowing that not long from now, nothing would exist within them?

"No… you can't be. There must be some way… to fix this."

Her smile remained as she took his hand, her warm fingers gently brushed over the lines in his icy palm. She met his gaze then.

"You may be a vampire Edward… but you're no God."

What if you had the power to save the one you loved from the brink of death? What if they refused that power… your help? Could you let them go?

"Would you… be comfortable playing a love song?"

He raised a questioning eyebrow. "That depends on who I'd be playing it for…"

"Would you play one for me?"

What if there had been another girl before Bella? What if she was the reason he refused to change her for so long?

Pairing: Edward/Oc, others mentioned.

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_Regard me kindly. Thanks Everyone!_

_-HM11_


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